Population genetic structure of the Staphylococcus intermedius group: insights into agr diversification and the emergence of methicillin-resistant strains.

ABSTRACT: The population genetic structure of the animal pathogen Staphylococcus intermedius is poorly understood. We carried out a multilocus sequence phylogenetic analysis of isolates from broad host and geographic origins to investigate inter- and intraspecies diversity. We found that isolates phenotypically identified as S. intermedius are differentiated into three closely related species, S. intermedius, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, and Staphylococcus delphini. S. pseudintermedius, not S. intermedius, is the common cause of canine pyoderma and occasionally causes zoonotic infections of humans. Over 60 extant STs were identified among the S. pseudintermedius isolates examined, including several that were distributed on different continents. As the agr quorum-sensing system of staphylococci i

SUBMITTER: Bannoehr J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2168937 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature