Unusual properties of Staphylococcus aureus strains of the new epidemic phage type 95.
Three hundred and seventy-one penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains of phage type 95 isolated in the years 1977-1983 were investigated. They had characteristic resistance patterns to cadmium (Cd), arsenate (As) and mercury (Hg). Most were susceptible to all three heavy metals; 25 strains were resistant to As only and one to Cd and As. The susceptible strains had a uniform medium level of penicillinase production, whereas the As-resistant strains produced large amounts of penicillinase. In most of the strains, penicillin resistance was located on a very unstable penicillinase plasmid. The combination of rare properties found in Danish type-95 strains seems to point to the spread of one or two clones. Co-reactions with other phage groups or complexes and results of lysogenisation experiments suggest that the Danish type-95 strains are derived from strains of the 52, 52A, 80, 81 complex.
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D000085:Acetates; D001149:Arsenates / Q000494:pharmacology; D001434:Bacteriophage Typing; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D003718:Denmark; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008242:Lysogeny; D008627:Mercuric Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D008670:Metals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D010405:Penicillinase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011815:R Factors; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013204:Staphylococcus Phages / Q000502:physiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics
D000085:Acetates; D001149:Arsenates; D008670:Metals; D002104:Cadmium; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; C009277:sodium arsenate; C028031:cadmium acetate; D010405:Penicillinase