Survey of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from two hospitals in El Paso, Texas.

Seventy-one percent of 76 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated from two medical centers in El Paso, Texas, represent three similar pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types. Overall, six pulsed-field types were identified represented by multilocus sequence/staphylococcal chromosomal cassette DNA mec (SCCmec) types: ST5-MRSA-II; ST36-MRSA-II; ST8 (untypeable SCCmec); and a newly described clonal cluster 8 strain, ST507-MRSA-IV. This study demonstrates the presence of multiple-antibiotic-resistant epidemic MRSA clones in El Paso.