Wide geographic distribution of a unique methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone in Hungarian hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the genetic relatedness of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates recovered from six provincial hospitals in Hungary between 1993 and 1994. METHODS: Molecular fingerprinting methods were used: hybridization with a mecA-specific DNA probe after ClaI restriction; hybridization with a probe for Tn554; and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after Smal digestion of chromosomal DNA. RESULTS: All strains were resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, tetracycline, imipenem, and cephalosporins, and variably resistant to ofloxacin, clindamycin and tobramycin; all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin.