PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Harris, Simon R. AU - Feil, Edward J. AU - Holden, Matthew T. G. AU - Quail, Michael A. AU - Nickerson, Emma K. AU - Chantratita, Narisara AU - Gardete, Susana AU - Tavares, Ana AU - Day, Nick AU - Lindsay, Jodi A. AU - Edgeworth, Jonathan D. AU - de Lencastre, Hermínia AU - Parkhill, Julian AU - Peacock, Sharon J. AU - Bentley, Stephen D. TI - Evolution of MRSA During Hospital Transmission and Intercontinental Spread AID - 10.1126/science.1182395 DP - 2010 Jan 22 TA - Science PG - 469--474 VI - 327 IP - 5964 4099 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/327/5964/469.short 4100 - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/327/5964/469.full SO - Science2010 Jan 22; 327 AB - Current methods for differentiating isolates of predominant lineages of pathogenic bacteria often do not provide sufficient resolution to define precise relationships. Here, we describe a high-throughput genomics approach that provides a high-resolution view of the epidemiology and microevolution of a dominant strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This approach reveals the global geographic structure within the lineage, its intercontinental transmission through four decades, and the potential to trace person-to-person transmission within a hospital environment. The ability to interrogate and resolve bacterial populations is applicable to a range of infectious diseases, as well as microbial ecology.