Virulence Characteristics of mecA-Positive Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci.

ABSTRACT: Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are an important group of opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms that cause infections in hospital settings and are generally resistant to many antimicrobial agents. We report on phenotypic and genotypic virulence characteristics of a select group of clinical, mecA-positive (encoding penicillin-binding protein 2a) CoNS isolates. All CoNS were resistant to two or more antimicrobials with S. epidermidis strain 214EP, showing resistance to fifteen of the sixteen antimicrobial agents tested. Aminoglycoside-resistance genes were the ones most commonly detected. The presence of megaplasmids containing both horizontal gene transfer and antimicrobial resistance genetic determinants indicates that CoNS may disseminate antibiotic resistance to other bacteria.

SUBMITTER: Chon JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7284987 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature