Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

has become a major epidemiological and clinical prob-lem over the several last decades (Aires de Sousa & de Lencastre 2004). Methicillin resistance is encoded by the mecA gene that is located in a mobile genetic element called the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC-mec) (Katayama et al. 2000). The analysis of SCCmec has revealed eight different allotypes, which are desig-nated types I-VIII. Worldwide, most hospital-derived isolates belong to types I, II and III, most community-derived isolates belong to type IV (Chambers & Deleo 2009). In Brazil, only isolates belonging to types II, III and IV have been found in hospitals (Reinert et al. 2008, Schuenck et al. 2009, Silva-Carvalho et al. 2009). The reliable detection of methicillin resistance in clinical S. aureus isolates is essential for the appropriat