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.
Luna
Vicki A
VA
Department of Pathobiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Heiken
Marc
M
Judge
Kathleen
K
Ulep
Catherine
C
Van Kirk
Nicole
N
Luis
Henrique
H
Bernardo
Mario
M
Leitao
Jose
J
Roberts
Marilyn C
MC
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