Ethidium bromide MIC screening for enhanced efflux pump gene expression or efflux activity in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: Multidrug resistance efflux pumps contribute to antimicrobial and biocide resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. The detection of strains capable of efflux is time-consuming and labor-intensive using currently available techniques. A simple and inexpensive method to identify such strains is needed. Ethidium bromide is a substrate for all but one of the characterized S. aureus multidrug-resistant (MDR) efflux pumps (NorC), leading us to examine the utility of simple broth microtiter MIC determinations using this compound in identifying efflux-proficient strains. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR identified the increased expression of one or more MDR efflux pump genes in 151/309 clinical strains (49%). Ethidium bromide MIC testing was insensitive (48%) but specific (92%) in identifying st

SUBMITTER: Patel D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2981236 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature