| Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus | |
|---|---|
| Electron micrograph of MRSA | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Firmicutes |
| Class: | Bacilli |
| Order: | Bacillales |
| Family: | Staphylococcaceae |
| Genus: | Staphylococcus |
| Species: | S. aureus |
| Binomial name | |
| Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach 1884 |
|
| Type strain | |
| "ST8:USA300" | |
ST8:USA300 is a strain of community-associated MRSA that has emerged as a particularly antibiotic resistant epidemic that is responsible for rapidly progressive, fatal diseases including necrotizing pneumonia, severe sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis.[1] The epidemiology of infections caused by MRSA is rapidly changing: in the past 10 years, infections caused by this organism have emerged in the community. The 2 MRSA clones in the United States most closely associated with community outbreaks, USA400 (MW2 strain, ST1 lineage) and USA300, often contain Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes and, more frequently, have been associated with skin and soft tissue infections. Outbreaks of community-associated (CA)-MRSA infections have been reported in correctional facilities, among athletic teams, among military recruits, in newborn nurseries, and among active homosexual men. CA-MRSA infections now appear to be endemic in many urban regions and cause most MRSA infections.[2] [3]