title: Diversity of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec structures in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains among outpatients from four countries.
abstract: In staphylococci, methicillin (meticillin) resistance (MR) is mediated by the acquisition of the mecA gene, which is carried on the size and composition variable staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). MR has been extensively studied in Staphylococcus aureus, but little is known about MR coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS). Here, we describe the diversity of SCCmec structures in MR-CoNS from outpatients living in countries with contrasting environments: Algeria, Mali, Moldova, and Cambodia. Their MR-CoNS nasal carriage rates were 29, 17, 11, and 31%, respectively. Ninety-six MR-CoNS strains, comprising 75 (78%) Staphylococcus epidermidis strains, 19 (20%) Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains, 1 (1%) Staphylococcus hominis strain, and 1 (1%) Staphylococcus cohnii strain, were analyzed. Eighteen different SCCmec types were observed, with 28 identified as type IV (29%), 25 as type V (26%), and 1 as type III (1%). Fifteen strains (44%) were untypeable for their SCCmec. Thirty-four percent of MR-CoNS strains contained multiple ccr copies. Type IV and V SCCmec were preferentially associated with S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus, respectively. MR-CoNS constitute a widespread and highly diversified MR reservoir in the community.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Associé CNR Résistance Dans les Flores Commensales, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruppé
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbier
authors.forename: Yasmine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mesli
authors.forename: Aminata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cojocaru
authors.forename: Mokhtar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benkhalfat
authors.forename: Samia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benchouk
authors.forename: Hafida
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hassaine
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maiga
authors.forename: Amadou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: Abdel Karim
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Koumaré
authors.forename: Kalilou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ouattara
authors.forename: Sambou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soumaré
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dufourcq
authors.forename: Chhor
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nareth
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sarthou
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andremont
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruimy
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002353:Carrier State; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D008966:Moldova; D010045:Outpatients; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D041162:Staphylococcus haemolyticus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C487495:MecA protein, Staphylococcus epidermidis