Local variants of Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec in sporadic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci: evidence of horizontal gene transfer?

ABSTRACT: The mecA gene in Staphylococcus aureus is located on the genetic element staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC). Different SCCmecs have been classified according to their putative recombinase genes (ccrA and ccrB) and overall genetic composition. Clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; n = 39) and S. aureus (n = 20) from Norway, India, Italy, Finland, the United States, and the United Kingdom were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, which showed that most isolates were genetically unrelated. Cluster analyses of 16S rRNA gene and pta sequences confirmed the traditional biochemical species identification. The mecI, mecR1, mecA, and ccrAB genes were detected by PCRs, identifying 19 out of 20 S. aureus and 17 out of 39 CoNS isolates as carriers of one of the th

SUBMITTER: Hanssen AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC310173 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature