We have examined the draft genomes of 388 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from intensive care unit patients at three geographically distributed hospitals to determine genomic diversity associated with potential health care worker-associated transmission.

Interactions with health care workers are often thought to be associated with the spread of microbes in the hospital setting. We have examined the genomic diversity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from the gloves and gowns of health care workers from four hospitals in three states.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered a serious threat to public health and contributes to the dissemination of S. aureus in both the healthcare and community setting. Transmission of MRSA between patients via healthcare worker (HCW) has been described.