Genome sequencing traces MRSA spread in high transmission setting
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - 19:00
in Health & Medicine
A scanning electron micrograph of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) magnified 2381x. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common cause of hospital-acquired infections, with the largest burden of infections occurring in under-resourced hospitals. While genome sequencing has previously been applied in well-resourced clinical settings to track the spread of MRSA, transmission dynamics in settings with more limited infection control is unknown. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers used genome sequencing to understand the spread of MRSA in a resource-limited hospital with high transmission rates.