Methods of diagnosing increased risk of developing mrsa

Abstract

A method for diagnosing increased risk of developing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) hospital-acquired (HA-MRSA) or community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) which includes obtaining a biological sample from a subject, detecting in the sample a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the FAM129B gene at position 17 of SEQ ID NO 1, and comparing the nucleotide at position 17 of SEQ ID NO. 1 in the sample with the nucleotide at position 17 in SEQ ID NO. 1, wherein an adenine at position 17 of SEQ ID NO. 1 in the sample indicates an increased risk of developing MRSA or CA-MRSA in the subject.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of predicting or assessing the level of risk of a subject developing a Methicillin-resistant  S. aureus  (MRSA) infection comprising:
 obtaining a biological sample from the subject, wherein said biological sample includes at least one oligonucleotide occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1;   detecting the identity of at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1;   determining whether at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 is an adenine or a cytosine; and   predicting and assessing the level of risk of the subject developing a MRSA, wherein an adenine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 indicates that the subject has a high risk of developing a MRSA infection and a cytosine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1, indicates that the subject has a low risk of developing a MRSA infection.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the detecting step further comprises hybridizing at least one oligonucleotide occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of either SEQ ID. NO: 1, to an oligonucleotide probe comprising a sequence that is complementary or identical to SEQ ID NO. 1, under stringency conditions than can detect the presence of different alleles at position 17 of said oligonucleotide or hybridizing at least one oligonucleotide occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO: 2, to an oligonucleotide probe comprising a sequence that is complementary or identical to SEQ ID NO: 2, under stringency conditions that can detect the presence of different alleles at position 17 of said oligonucleotide. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the detecting step further comprises evaluating the hybridization of at least one oligonucleotide from the biological sample which corresponds to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the detecting step further comprises sequencing the oligonucleotide from the biological sample. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the detecting step further comprises amplifying the oligonucleotide from the biological sample. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the amplifying step uses at least one oligonucleotide primer and at least one oligonucleotide from the biological sample occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ. ID. NO. 1. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the oligonucleotide primer comprises DNA. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a treatment step is taken after it is determined whether the patient has a high or low risk of developing a MRSA or CA-MRSA infection. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein after it is determined that the patient has a high risk of developing a MRSA infection, the patient is given anti MRSA antibiotics. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein after it is determined that the patient has a high risk of developing a MRSA infection, the patient is given anti MRSA antibiotics and is given decolonization treatments. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein after it is determined that the patient has a high risk of developing a MRSA infection, the patient is given more than one course of anti MRSA antibiotics, decolonization treatments and is put on high infection alert for any future surgeries. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein after it is determined that the patient has a low risk of developing a MRSA infection, the patient is not given any antibiotics and is only treated with incision and drainage. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein, after it is determined that the patient has a low risk of developing a MRSA infection, the patient is treated with incision and drainage and given a routine antibiotic treatment that does not include anti MRSA antibiotics. 
     
     
         14 . One or more primers or probes to be used to amplify or detect at least one or more nucleotides from a biological sample, which one or more nucleotides occupy a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ. ID. NO. 1. 
     
     
         15 . The one or more primers of  claim 14  wherein said one or more primers spans the nucleotide positions about position 17 of SEQ. ID. NO. 1. 
     
     
         16 . The one or more primers of  claim 15  that is from about 8 to about 44 nucleotides in length. 
     
     
         17 . The one or more primers of  claim 16  that is from about 14 to about 50 nucleotides in length. 
     
     
         18 . The probes of  claim 14  wherein said one or more probes span the nucleotide positions about position 17 of SEQ. ID. NO. 1. 
     
     
         19 . The probe of  claim 18  selected from a probe having a different disruption energy for one allele as compared to another allele; two probes, wherein the first probe is a sensor probe and the second probe is an anchor probe; and a SNP-specific probe. 
     
     
         20 . The one or more primers or probes of  claim 14  in a kit designed for use by a caregiver who seeks to predict or assess the level of risk of a subject developing Methicillin-resistant  S. aureus  (MRSA) infection comprising:
 obtaining a biological sample from the subject, wherein said biological sample includes at least one oligonucleotide occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1; 
 detecting the identity of said at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1; 
 determining whether said at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 is an adenine or a cytosine; and 
 predicting and assessing the level of risk of the subject developing a MRSA or CA-MRSA infection, wherein an adenine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 indicates that the subject has a high risk of developing a MRSA or CA-MRSA infection and a cytosine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 indicates that the subject has a low risk of developing a MRSA or CA-MRSA infection. 
 
     
     
         21 . A method of monitoring and preparing a patient for surgery, wherein said monitoring and preparing comprises:
 obtaining a biological sample from the patient, wherein said biological sample includes at least one oligonucleotide occupying a locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1;   detecting the identity of said at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1;   determining whether said at least one oligonucleotide occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 is an adenine or a cytosine;   predicting and assessing the level of risk of the patient developing a MRSA infection, wherein an adenine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 indicates that the patient has a high risk of developing a MRSA infection and a cytosine occupying the locus corresponding to position 17 of SEQ ID. NO 1 indicates that the patient has a low risk of developing a MRSA infection; and   
       wherein the predication and assessment indicates that the patient is at high risk for a MRSA infection, taking appropriate steps and care as one normally skilled in the art would take when operating on a person at high risk of developing a MRSA infection.