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Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of bacteria is a valuable research tool. However, WGS is rarely used in clinical settings because of timeliness issues and the need for expertise in analysis and interpretation. Now, investigators in the U.K. report using rapid-sequencing technology to investigate an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in their neonatal intensive care unit.
The investigators sequenced the DNA from seven outbreak-associated MRSA isolates and seven other MRSA isolates from patients in the same hospital. By constructing a phylogenetic tree using single-nucleotide polymorphisms, they found that the outbreak isolates formed a distinct cluster, and they detected a previously unrecognized transmiss…