Repeated Recovery of Staphylococcus saprophyticus From the Urogenital Tracts of Women: Persistence Vs. Recurrence

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether colonization was persistent or recurrent in a small group of women who had repeated recovery of Staphylococcus saprophyticus from their urogenital tracts. Methods: Paired isolates of S. saprophyticus from each of the study subjects were genotypically typed by plasmid fingerprinting and comparison of chromosomal-DNA restriction fragment-length polymorphism patterns by field-inversion gel electrophoresis (FIGE) and contour-clamped homogenous electric-field (CHEF) electrophoresis. Results: All isolates of S. saprophyticus from the study subjects were classified as genetically unique by each of the typing methods. Conclusions: The subjects experienced recurrent colonization with different isolates of S. saprophyticus. These findings may have broader implications regarding the pathogenesis and recurrence of S. saprophyticus urinary-tract infection.