Usefulness of PCR-RFLP coa gene for clonal classification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates in tertiary hospitals.

One hundred and one methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates were classified into 10 genotypes based on their polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) coa pattern. PCR-RFLP coa patterns correlated with the clonal complex (CC) with the exception of CC5, which was related to 2 patterns (B and E). The PCR-RFLP coa gene technique provides a useful preliminary method to monitor variations in MRSA populations.