To determine the predominant staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) mec element in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, we typed 190 isolates from a hospital in Taiwan. We found a shift from type IV to type III SCCmec element during 1992-2003, perhaps caused by selective pressure from indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs.
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The high prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which accounts for as much as 80% of all S. aureus ...