Non-multiresistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Sydney, Australia: emergence of EMRSA-15, Oceania, Queensland and Western Australian MRSA strains

Aims: To describe clinical features and molecular epidemiology of non-multiresistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia. Methods: Patients with non-multiresistant MRSA isolated from blood at South Western Area Pathology Service from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2001 were enrolled. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis, phage typing, and (selected instances) multilocus sequence and staphylococcal cassette chromosome typing was performed. PCR was used to detect Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), and enterotoxin genes. Results: Sixteen patients were detected: eight with UK EMRSA-15 (ST22-MRSA-IV), three with Oceania (South-West Pacific/Western Samoan phage pattern) (ST30-MRSA-IV), two with WA MRSA-5 (ST8-MRSA-IV), and one each with WA MRSA-1 (ST1-MRSA-IV), Queensland strain (ST93-MRSA-IV), and WA MRSA-15 (ST59-MRSA-IV). Prior hospital admissions occurred with six of the eight patients with UK EMRSA-15, none of the three with Oceania, and three of the five with other strains. Thirteen of 16 patients had underlying disease. Three of the three patients with Oceania strain bacteraemia were Polynesians; 11 of 13 of the others were Caucasians. PVL genes were detected in four of 16 isolates (all Oceania and Queensland strains). ent C was detected in two EMRSA-15 strains; ent A in one Oceania, two WA MRSA-5 and the WA MRSA-1 strain, with ent A and ent B in the WA MRSA-15 strain. tst was not detected. Conclusions: Multiple epidemic strains cause non-multiresistant MRSA bacteraemia. Most patients had risk factors. Oceania and Queensland strains possess the PVL gene

Great tits Parus major and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus as indicators of agri-environmental habitat quality

This study examined relationships between habitat and breeding success for two common bird species, the great tit Parus major and blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus. The aim was to determine the potential of these species to act as indicators of food resource availability for birds in managed semi-natural habitats on farmland and thus as a measure of the effectiveness of specific management practices under agri-environment schemes (AES). Breeding success was recorded for four years (2007–2010) using 90 nestboxes on arable farmland in central England. Habitat parameters were derived from high spatial resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and hyperspectral data. Relationships of breeding variables with a range of habitat variables, many of which were influenced by AES management, were evident for both species, despite strong interannual variation in breeding parameters. Relationships were strongest for models using habitat variables within a 100 m radius of the nest, compared to values of 50 and 200 m. Both species showed significant, positive relationships with the area and proximity of tree canopy and, for great tits especially, with hedgerow height and volume. Therefore, tits may act as indicators of the quality of local habitat, particularly within-hedge trees and hedgerows, managed under agri-environmental provision, and provide insight into the spatial arrangement of AES options at the field scale