Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) of clonal complex CC398, t571 from infections in humans are still rare in Germany

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 18;8(12):e83165. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083165. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) attributed to clonal complex (CC) 398 and exhibiting spa-type t571 received attention in Europe and in the USA for being associated with severe infections in humans. As this spa-type is exhibited by livestock-associated (LA) Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) as well, it is important to discriminate LA- and human-derived strains by easy to perform, PCR-based methods. MSSA t571 contain phage int3 carrying scn and chp, whereas LA-MRSA t571 lack these markers. In contrast, pathogenicity island SaPIbov5 (detected by PCR bridging vwbbov and scn) is contained by LA-MRSA t571 and absent in the human MSSA subpopulation. Furthermore, MSSA t571 contain erm(T), the particular genomic arrangement of which was assessed by a PCR bridging erm(T) and the adjacent transposase gene. MSSA t571 are rare so far in Germany among isolates from infections in humans (0.14%) as well as among isolates from nasal colonization (0.13%). LA-MRSA t571 are also infrequent among MRSA isolated from carriage at admission to hospitals (0.1%) and also among isolates from infections in humans (0.013%).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Genetic Markers / genetics
  • Germany / epidemiology
  • Horses / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Livestock / microbiology
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification*
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / physiology
  • Nose / microbiology
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*

Substances

  • Genetic Markers

Grants and funding

Funding came from Grant 01KI1014G from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.