Novel characteristics of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains belonging to multilocus sequence type 59 in Taiwan.
Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains, which often produce Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL), are increasingly noted worldwide. In this study, we examined 42 MRSA strains (25 PVL-positive [PVL+] strains and 17 PVL-negative [PVL(-)] strains) isolated in Taiwan for their molecular characteristics. The PVL+ MRSA strains included CA-MRSA strains with multilocus sequence type (ST) 59 (major PVL+ MRSA in Taiwan), its variants, and worldwide CA-MRSA ST30 strains. The PVL(-) MRSA strains included the pandemic Hungarian MRSA ST239 strain, the Hungarian MRSA ST239 variant, MRSA ST59 (largely hospital-acquired MRSA strains) and its variants, the pandemic New York/Japan MRSA ST5 strain (Japanese type), and the MRSA ST8 strain. The major PVL+ CA-MRSA ST59 strain possessed a tetracycline resistance-conferring (tetK positive) penicillinase plasmid and a drug resistance gene cluster (a possible composite transposon) for multidrug resistance. Moreover, it carried a novel staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) with two distinct ccrC genes (ccrC2-C8). This SCCmec (previously named SCCmec type V(T)) was tentatively designated SCCmec type VII. Sequencing of the PVL genes revealed the polymorphisms, and the PVL+ CA-MRSA ST59 strain possessed the ST59-specific PVL gene sequence. The data suggest that a significant amount of clonal spread is occurring in Taiwan and that the major PVL+ CA-MRSA ST59 Taiwan strain exhibits unique genetic characteristics, such as a novel SCCmec type and an ST59-specific PVL gene sequence.
Takano
Tomomi
T
Division of Bacteriology, Department of Infectious Disease Control and International Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 757 Ichibanchou, Asahimachidori, Niigata, Japan.
Higuchi
Wataru
W
Zaraket
Hassan
H
Otsuka
Taketo
T
Baranovich
Tatiana
T
Enany
Shymaa
S
Saito
Kohei
K
Isobe
Hirokazu
H
Dohmae
Soshi
S
Ozaki
Kyoko
K
Takano
Misao
M
Iwao
Yasuhisa
Y
Shibuya
Michiko
M
Okubo
Takeshi
T
Yabe
Shizuka
S
Shi
Da
D
Reva
Ivan
I
Teng
Lee-Jene
LJ
Yamamoto
Tatsuo
T
D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics*; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013624:Taiwan; D014774:Virulence
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin