Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing is important for the identification and definition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones, and for routine purposes, multiplex PCR assays are the most adequate for SCCmec typing. Here, we describe an update to the multiplex PCR strategy for SCCmec typing that we described in 2002 so that SCCmec types IV and V may be properly identified.
Previously we identified a SCCmec variant similar in size to type IV but with a new ccrAB allotype, allotype 4. We addressed the epidemiological relevance of this variant and found it among several strains belonging to the same clone. We propose to rename this structural variant SCCmec type VI.
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