Draft Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus aureus 118 (ST772), a Major Disease Clone from India

We report the draft genome sequence of an ST772 Staphylococcus aureus disease isolate carrying staphylococcal cassette chro-mosomemec (SCCmec) type V from a pyomyositis patient. Our de novo short read assembly is2.8 Mb and encodes a unique Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) phage with structural genes similar to those of 7247PVL and novel lysogenic genes at the N termini. Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus au-reus (CA-MRSA) has become amajor disease threat in the com-munity as well as in hospitals (5, 8). Until 2004, hospital-associated MRSA, carrying the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types III and IIIA, was common in India (2). Now, these are being replaced by CA-MRSA strains carrying SCCmec types IV (EMRSA-15) and V (ST772) in Indian hospitals (6, 9). These newer variants also carry several toxins and virulence factors, including Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). ST772, called the Bengal Bay clone by some, was previously reported only in Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia but is now being reported in England, Ireland, and several other European countries (1, 4, 10)