title: Gentamicin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Gentamicin resistance has been studied in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, from Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) and Sydney. Gentamicin resistance was transferred in mixed cultures to a plasmid free strain, and the determinants were examined. The Sydney strain had high level resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin, kanamycin and neomycin which was carried on a c.34 megadalton plasmid. The gentamicin resistant RMH isolates all had a determinant which conferred low level resistance to gentamicin, tobramycin and kanamycin and appeared to be chromosomal in one isolate, on a plasmid of c.28.5 megadaltons in another and on a plasmid of c.18 megadaltons in the other isolates. It is suggested that a gentamicin resistance transposon is being transferred in the MRSA at RMH.
mesh_terms: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008712:Methicillin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D010957:Plasmids; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005839:Gentamicins; D008712:Methicillin