Coexistence of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance within a novel composite staphylococcal cassette chromosome in a Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolate from bovine mastitis milk.

ABSTRACT: The structure of a composite staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) carried by a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus (NW19A) isolated from a bovine milk sample was analyzed. The formation of the circular forms of both single SCC elements and composite SCC elements was detected in NW19A. Twenty heavy metal and antibiotic resistance-related genes coexisted in this composite SCC, suggesting that these genes might be coselected under environmental pressure. The mec gene complex in NW19A, designated type C3, is different from classic C1 or C2 gene complexes structurally and likely evolves differently. Furthermore, results from alignment of the SCC composite island of NW19A with 50 related sequences from different staphylococcal strains provided additional evidence to support the

SUBMITTER: Xue H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4538546 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature