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Phages for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an international trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 1999

J. F. RICHARDSON
Affiliation:
Campylobacter Reference Unit, Central Public Health Laboratory, 61 Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT, UK
V. T. ROSDAHL
Affiliation:
Statens Seruminstitut, Artillerivej 5, DK 2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
W. J. van LEEUWEN
Affiliation:
Diagnostic Laboratory for Infectious Disease and Perinatal Screening, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, PO Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
A. M. VICKERY
Affiliation:
Department of Microbiology, Fairfax Institute of Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown 28220, 2050 New South Wales, Australia
A. VINDEL
Affiliation:
Servicio de Bacteriologia, Centro Nacional de Microbiologia, Virologia e Immunologia Sanitarias, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
W. WITTE
Affiliation:
Robert Koch-Institut, Bereich Wernigerode, Burgstrasse 37, Postfach 36643 Wernigerode, 03700 Wernigerode (Harz), Germany
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Abstract

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An internationally agreed and validated set of phages is used worldwide for the typing of strains of Staphylococcus aureus of human origin. However, because of the sometimes reduced susceptibility of methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) to these phages, some of the national typing centres use locally isolated and characterized sets of experimental phages. In this trial, 42 such phages were distributed to 6 centres and tested against 744 isolates of MRSA with the intention of defining a phage set to augment the international set. The use of these experimental phages increased the percentage typability from 75% with the international set to 93% and the number of identifiable lytic patterns from 192 to 424. A subset of 10 experimental phages was selected. When this subset was compared with the experimental panel, the typability rate was 91% and 370 distinct patterns were obtained. This subset of phages has been distributed for international trial.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press