BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot clinics have been reported as a source of acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We undertook a 10-year review of patients infected or colonized with MRSA from a tertiary care hospital diabetic foot clinic and describe the epidemiology and genotypes of newly acquired MRSA in comparison with the community at large. METHODS: All new MRSA cases from the diabetic foot clinic, the hospital, and the province were reviewed to identify and compare the 10-year trend in MRSA incidence. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis using SmaI of all clinic isolates was performed, and standard genotypes were assigned to assess the genetic heterogeneity of MRSA in the clinic. RESULTS: Analysis of trends revealed a low-potential, clinic-attributable incidence and a total clinic incidence that was comparable with regional and hospital MRSA rates. Strains recovered from clinic patients were genetically heterogeneous. CONCLUSION: Our 10-year analysis of trends in MRSA acquisition and MRSA genotypes data does not support significant transmission of MRSA in this clinic setting.