RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Characterization of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Fitness Centers in Memphis Metropolitan Area, USA JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 061044 DO 10.1101/061044 A1 Nabanita Mukherjee A1 Irshad M. Sulaiman A1 Pratik Banerjee YR 2016 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/06/29/061044.abstract AB Indoor skin-contact surfaces of public fitness centers may serve as reservoirs of potential human transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We found a high prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR)-MRSA of CC59 lineage harboring a variety of extracellular toxin genes from surface swab samples collected from inanimate surfaces of fitness centers in Memphis metropolitan area, USA. Our findings underscore the role of inanimate surfaces as potential sources of transmission of MDR-MRSA strains with considerable genetic diversity.