Adhesion of a Staphylococcus aureus strain to biomaterials does not select methicillin-resistant mutants.
Bacterial adhesion to polymethylmethacrylate and to silicon elastomer, materials frequently used in clinical applications, has been investigated to assess whether adhesion selects methicillin-resistant mutants in the bacterial population in contact with the materials. The methicillin susceptibility of a susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) was measured by a modification of plate antibiogram Kirby-Bauer method, which allows optimised detection of small variations in antibiotic susceptibility. In both adherent and non-adherent bacterial subpopulations, the presence of mecA gene, which encodes for the protein PBP 2a responsible for methicillin resistance was searched for by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The contact with the two polymers did not induce in the bacteria population any phenotypic increase in methicillin resistance, or the selection of mutants carrying the mecA gene.
Montanaro
L
L
Research Laboratory on Biocompatibility of Implant Materials, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy.
Cavedagna
D
D
Baldassarri
L
L
Arciola
C R
CR
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D010458:Peptidyl Transferases; D006602:Hexosyltransferases; D002267:Muramoylpentapeptide Carboxypeptidase