Evolutionary Origin of the Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome <i>mec</i> (SCC<i>mec</i>).

ABSTRACT: Several lines of evidence indicate that the most primitive staphylococcal species, those of the Staphylococcus sciuri group, were involved in the first stages of evolution of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec), the genetic element carrying the β-lactam resistance gene mecA However, many steps are still missing from this evolutionary history. In particular, it is not known how mecA was incorporated into the mobile element SCC prior to dissemination among Staphylococcus aureus and other pathogenic staphylococcal species. To gain insights into the possible contribution of several species of the Staphylococcus sciuri group to the assembly of SCCmec, we sequenced the genomes of 106 isolates, comprising S. sciuri (

SUBMITTER: Rolo J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5444190 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature