Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T16:45:28.423Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Detection of mecA, femA, and femB genes in clinical strains of staphylococci using polymerase chain reaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

N. Kobayashi ,
H. Wu ,
K. Kojima ,
K. Taniguchi ,
S. Urasawa ,
N. Uehara ,
Y. Omizu ,
Y. Kishi ,
A. Yagihashi  and
I. Kurokawa
N. Kobayashi
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
H. Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
K. Kojima
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
K. Taniguchi
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
S. Urasawa
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
N. Uehara
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
Y. Omizu
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
Y. Kishi
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
A. Yagihashi
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
I. Kurokawa
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

MecA, a structural gene located on the chromosome of Staphylococcus aureus, characterizes methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and femA and femB(fem) genes encode proteins which influence the level of methicillin resistance of S. aureus. In order to examine effectiveness of detecting mecA and fem genes in identification of MRSA, the presence of these genes in 237 clinically isolated strains of staphylococci was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An amplified mecA DNA fragment of 533 base pairs (bp) was detected in 100% of oxacillin-resistant S. aureus, in 16·7 % of oxacillin-sensitive S. aureus, in 81·5% of S. epidermidis, and in 58·3% of other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). While the PCR product of femA (509 bp) or femB (651 bp) was obtained from almost all the S. aureus strains except for five oxacillin-resistant strains (2·5%), neither of these genes were detected in CNS. Therefore, the detection of femA and femB together with mecA by PCR was considered to be a more reliable indicator to identify MRSA by differentiating it from mecA-positive CNS than single detection of mecA.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 113 , Issue 2 , October 1994 , pp. 259 - 266
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

References

REFERENCES

1.Cohen, ML, Wong, ES, Falkow, SCommon R-plasmids in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis during nosocomial Staphylococcus aureus outbreak. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1982: 21: 210–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Thore, M, Kühn, I, Löfdahl, S, Burman, LG, Drug-resistant coagulase-negative skin staphylococci. Epidemiol Infect 1990; 105: 95–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Utsui, Y, Yokota, TRole of an altered penicillin-binding protein in methicillin- and cephemresistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1985; 28: 397–403.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Song, MD, Wachi, M, Doi, M, Ishino, F, Matsuhashi, MEvolution of an inducible penicillin-target protein in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by gene fusion. FEBS Lett 1987; 221: 167–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Ubukata, K, Nonoguehi, R, Matsuhashi, M, Konno, M, Expression and inducibility in Staphylococcus aureus of the mecA gene, which encodes a methicillin-resistant S. aureus-specific penicillin-binding protein. J Bacteriol 1990; 171: 2882–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Ryffel, C, Tesch, W, Birch-Machin, I et al. . Sequence comparison of mecA genes isolated from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Gene 1990: 137–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Suzuki, E, Hiramatsu, K, Yokota, TSurvey of methicillin-resistant clinical strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci for mecA gene distribution. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1992; 36; 429–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Ubukata, K, Nonoguchi, R, Song, MD, Matsuhashi, M, Konno, MHomology of mecA gene in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus simulans to that of Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1990; 34: 170–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Hiramatsu, K, Asada, K, Suzuki, E, Okonogi, K, Yokota, TMolecular cloning and nucleotide sequence determination of the regulator region of mecA gene in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). FEBS Lett 1992; 298: 133–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Tesch, W, Ryffel, C, Strässle, A, Kayser, FH, Berger-Bächi, BEvidence of a novel Staphylococcal mec-encoded element (mecR) controlling expression of penicillin-binding protein 2′. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1990: 34: 1703–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Suzuki, E, Kuwahara-Arai, K, Richardson, JF, Hiramatsu, KDistribution of mec regulator genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus clinical strains. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1993; 37: 1219–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Hiramatsu, K, Kihara, H, Yokota, TAnalysis of borderline-resistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using polymerase chain reaction. Microbiol Immunol 1992; 36: 445–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Higashiyama, Y, Koga, H, Kohno, S, Maesaki, S, Kaku, M, Hara, KDetection of mecA gene of methicillin resistant Staphylococci from oral swabs by polymerase chain reaction. J Jpn Assoc Infect Dis 1993; 67: 12–17.Google ScholarPubMed
14.Murakami, K, Minamide, W, Wada, K, Nakamura, E, Teraoka, H, Watanabe, SIdentification of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococci by polymerase chain reaction. J Clin Microbiol 1991; 29: 2240–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Tokue, Y, Shoji, S, Satoh, K, Watanabe, A, Motomiya, MDetection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using polymerase chain reaction amplification. Tohoku J Exp Med 1991; 163: 31–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Berger-Bächi, B, Barberis-Maino, L, Strässle, A, Kayser, FHFemA. a host-mediated factor essential for methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: molecular cloning and characterization. Mol Gen Genet 1989; 219: 263–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Yamashita, K, Kagawa, SDetection and identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by non-radioactive probes. J Clin Exp Med (IGAKU NO AYUMI) 1992; 162: 535–9.Google Scholar
18. NCCLS: Methods for dilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests for bacteria that grow aerobically, 2nd ed. Approved standard. NCCLS Document M7–A2 (M100–S4), 1992.Google Scholar
19.Maidhof, H, Reinicke, B, Blümel, P, Berger-Bächi, B, Labischinski, HFemA, which encodes a factor essential for expression of methicillin resistance, affects glycine content of peptidoglycan in methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains. J Bacteriol 1991; 173, 3507–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Ubukata, K, Yamashita, N, Konno, MOccurrence of a β-lactam-inducible penicillin-binding protein in methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1985; 27: 851–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed