Novel organization of the arginine catabolic mobile element and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec composite island and its horizontal transfer between distinct Staphylococcus aureus genotypes.

ABSTRACT: In this study, 425 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates recovered in the Dutch-German Euregio were investigated for the presence of the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME). Sequence analysis by whole-genome sequencing revealed an entirely new organization of the ACME-staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec composite island (SCCmec-CI), with truncated ACME type II located downstream of SCCmec. An identical nucleotide sequence of ACME-SCCmec-CI was found in two distinct MRSA lineages (t064-ST8 and t002-ST5), which has not been reported previously in S. aureus.

SUBMITTER: Sabat AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3811323 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature