A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strains from bacteraemic patients
Authors: Ibrahem S, Salmenlinna S, Lyytikäinen O, Vaara M, Vuopio-Varkila J
Publication year: 2008
Journal: Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Journal name in source: Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Journal acronym: Clin Microbiol Infect
Volume: 14
Issue: 11
First page : 1020
Last page: 7
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 1198-743X
eISSN: 1469-0691
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-0691.2008.02080.x(external)
Abstract
In order to study the clonality of clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) strains and their staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements, 60 isolates of MRSE from bacteraemic patients in three units of the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland were selected, covering the periods 1990-1993 and 1997-1998. The MRSE strains were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing and SCCmec typing. Eleven PFGE types (FIN-SE-1-11) with sequence type ST2 (clonal complex 2; CC2) were identified. The previously established methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus SCCmec criteria were applied to name the MRSE SCCmec complexes, and it was found that 7% of the isolates carried SCCmec type IA (ccrA1, class B), whereas the majority (93%) yielded six non-typeable SCCmec PCR patterns (P1-P6). Within each SCCmec PCR pattern, two ccr recombinase genes (ccrA2 and ccrA3) and two mec gene complexes (class A and class B) were detected. In addition, the ccrC gene was associated with three of the six patterns. In conclusion, the MRSE strains were genetically related to each other (ST2) but their SCCmec complexes were unique combinations of elements previously recognized among SCCmec types III and IV.
In order to study the clonality of clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) strains and their staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements, 60 isolates of MRSE from bacteraemic patients in three units of the Helsinki University Hospital, Finland were selected, covering the periods 1990-1993 and 1997-1998. The MRSE strains were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing and SCCmec typing. Eleven PFGE types (FIN-SE-1-11) with sequence type ST2 (clonal complex 2; CC2) were identified. The previously established methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus SCCmec criteria were applied to name the MRSE SCCmec complexes, and it was found that 7% of the isolates carried SCCmec type IA (ccrA1, class B), whereas the majority (93%) yielded six non-typeable SCCmec PCR patterns (P1-P6). Within each SCCmec PCR pattern, two ccr recombinase genes (ccrA2 and ccrA3) and two mec gene complexes (class A and class B) were detected. In addition, the ccrC gene was associated with three of the six patterns. In conclusion, the MRSE strains were genetically related to each other (ST2) but their SCCmec complexes were unique combinations of elements previously recognized among SCCmec types III and IV.
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