Distribution of mef(A) in gram-positive bacteria from healthy Portuguese children.
We screened 615 gram-positive isolates from 150 healthy children for the presence of the erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), and mef(A) genes. The mef(A) genes were found in 20 (9%) of the macrolide-resistant isolates, including Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Streptococcus spp. Sixteen of the 19 gram-positive isolates tested carried the other seven open reading frames (ORFs) described in Tn1207.1, a genetic element carrying mef(A) recently described in Streptococcus pneumoniae. The three Staphylococcus spp. did not carry orf1 to orf3. A gram-negative Acinetobacter junii isolate also carried the other seven ORFs described in Tn1207.1. A Staphylococcus aureus isolate, a Streptococcus intermedius isolate, a Streptococcus sp. isolate, and an Enterococcus sp. isolate had their mef(A) genes completely sequenced and showed 100% identity at the DNA and amino acid levels with the mef(A) gene from S. pneumoniae.
Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Vicki A
VA
Luna
Marc
M
Heiken
Kathleen
K
Judge
Catherine
C
Ulep
Nicole
N
Van Kirk
Henrique
H
Luis
Mario
M
Bernardo
Jose
J
Leitao
Marilyn C
MC
Roberts
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002648:Child; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D011174:Portugal; D012313:RNA / Q000494:pharmacology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D018942:Macrolides; C117866:MefA protein, Streptococcus; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; C034477:RNA primers; D012313:RNA