title: Staphylococcus hominis subsp. novobiosepticus subsp. nov., a novel trehalose- and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-negative, novobiocin- and multiple-antibiotic-resistant subspecies isolated from human blood cultures.
abstract: A new subspecies, Staphylococcus hominis subsp. novobiosepticus, isolated from human blood cultures, a wound, a breast abscess and a catheter tip, is described on the basis of a study of 26 strains isolated between 1989 and 1996. DNA-DNA reassociation reactions, conducted under stringent conditions, and macrorestriction pattern analysis demonstrated that these strains are closely related to previously characterized S. hominis strains isolated from human skin and clinical specimens, but are significantly divergent. S. hominis subsp. novobiosepticus can be distinguished from S. hominis (now named S. hominis subsp. hominis) by its combined characteristics of novobiocin resistance and failure to produce acid aerobically from D-trehalose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Furthermore, all 26 strains of the new subspecies are resistant to nalidixic acid, penicillin G, oxacillin, kanamycin and streptomycin, and were either resistant or had intermediate resistance to methicillin and gentamicin. Most strains were also resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin. Based on a comparison of the sequences of a 1001 bp mecA amplification product from reference methicillin-resistant staphylococci, the mecA gene present in S. hominis subsp. novobiosepticus was identified as homologue A, commonly found in S. aureus and many coagulase-negative staphylococcal species. The type strain of S. hominis subsp. novobiosepticus is ATCC 700236T. Descriptions of S. hominis subsp. novobiosepticus subsp. nov and S. hominis subsp. hominis are given and the description of S. hominis is emended.
authors.affiliation: North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7614, USA. wesley_kloos@ncsu.edu
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Kloos
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Olgiate
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van Pelt
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mirrett
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000032:analysis; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001482:Base Composition; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009675:Novobiocin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010641:Phenotype; D010957:Plasmids; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000187:drug effects; D014199:Trehalose / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C083616:mecA protein, Bacillus subtilis; D009675:Novobiocin; D014199:Trehalose; D000117:Acetylglucosamine