Distribution of a methicillin-resistance gene in urinary isolates of methicillin-resistant staphylococci examined by enzymatic detection of the polymerase chain reaction.
We tried to examine the susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents and to detect the mec A gene using enzymatic detection of the polymerase chain reaction in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis isolated from patients with complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). All the strains of MRSA and MSSA showed a low sensitivity to imipenem (IPM), ceftazidime (CAZ), flomoxef (FMOX), amikacin (AMK), ciprofloxacin (CPFX) and ofloxacin (OFLX). Although all the strains of MRSA had the mec A gene, none of the MSSA strains had it. 74% of S. epidermidis had the mec A gene and strains resistant to methicillin were seen in 72% of them. The mec A-positive S. epidermidis showed a lower susceptibility to IPM, CAZ, FMOX, AMK, CPFX and OFLX than the mec A-negative strains. These results suggest that methicillin resistance was due to the mec A gene in MRSA and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE), and that MRSEs were very common among the bacteria causing complicated UTI. When we try to control nosocomial infections due to MRSA, it should also be noted that MRSE can be a reservoir of the mec A gene.
Sakumoto
M
M
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Matsumoto
T
T
Mochida
O
O
Mizunoe
Y
Y
Kumazawa
J
J
Nagayama
A
A
D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*