Phenotypic and genotypic (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) characteristics of enterotoxin-A-producing Staphylococcus aureus strains.
The phenotypic (antibiotype, serotype, phagetype) and genotypic (SmaI restriction patterns using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) characters of 162 Staphylococcus aureus epidemiologically unrelated strains were studied. Eighty-two of the isolates produced enterotoxin-A (SEA+), while 80 produced none (SEA-). None of the phenotypic characters observed were characteristic of SEA+ strains. On the other hand, the electrophoretic profiles revealed a non-random distribution of the SEA+ strains (p < 0.01 in groups PI and PIII, and p < 0.03 in group PII). It can therefore reasonably be assumed that the enterotoxin-A-producing strains did not constitute a single clone, but rather, seemed to belong to strains derived from at least three clones with distinct genetic organization.
Gouloumès
C
C
Département de Recherche en Bactériologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine Alexis Carrel, Lyon, France.
Bes
M
M
Renaud
F
F
Lina
B
B
Reverdy
M E
ME
Brun
Y
Y
Fleurette
J
J
D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007369:Interferon Inducers / Q000032:analysis*; D010641:Phenotype; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins; D007369:Interferon Inducers; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal