Plasmids in multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Contemporary clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus possess a formidable array of determinants for resistance to antimicrobial agents, a number of which are plasmid encoded. The plasmids detected in such multiresistant isolates from Australia, Europe and the USA are compared and some of the potential genetic rearrangements involved in their evolution discussed.