**5. Conclusion**

This chapter has reviewed some of the most popular molecular methods for the epidemiological typing of two medically relevant gram-positive cocci, discussing their principles, strengths and weaknesses. We have described several examples of our recent work showing the application of molecular typing techniques to the study of two relevant pathogens. The examples we have considered herein include a relative clonal species such as *S.aureus*, and on the other hand, a pathogen showing a high recombination rate, such as *S. pneumoniae*.

Application of Molecular Typing Methods to the

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Molecular epidemiology has enormous potential in understanding the evolution of bacterial populations and can help establish appropriate control measures and interventions, including the use of vaccines, therapeutics, public health actions and ongoing pathogen surveillance.
