Structural variations of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IVa in Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 8 and unrelated lineages

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011 Aug;55(8):3932-5. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00012-11. Epub 2011 Jun 6.

Abstract

PCR mapping of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IVa and adjacent mobile elements in 94 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains identified two primary structures (A and B) that could be further classified into two (A1 and A2) and five (B1 to B5) variants, primarily based on structural differences in the orfX-J3 region. While spa type t008 (USA300) invariably contained the A variants, other spa types belonging to clonal complex 8 and unrelated lineages generally contained B variants. These findings have important implications for the typing and identification of MRSA strains containing B variants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
  • Bacterial Typing Techniques
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Humans
  • Interspersed Repetitive Sequences*
  • Methicillin Resistance / genetics*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / classification
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
  • Nursing Homes
  • Penicillin-Binding Proteins
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Penicillin-Binding Proteins
  • mecA protein, Staphylococcus aureus