Intra-strain variability of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains ST228-MRSA-I and ST5-MRSA-II.
Isolates belonging to two major epidemic strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from clonal complex 5 were characterised using diagnostic microarrays in order to detect and analyse intra-strain variability. Isolates were sampled from hospitals scattered all over Germany. The study included 56 isolates of ST228-MRSA-I, which is also known as the South German Epidemic Strain, and 40 isolates of ST5-MRSA-II (UK-EMRSA-3, Rhine-Hesse Epidemic Strain, New York/Japan Clone), as well as, for comparison, some control strains and overseas isolates of ST5-MRSA-II. Both strains showed a remarkable variability. This affected plasmid-borne resistance genes (tetK, blaZ/R/I, aacA-aphD, qacA), genes from SCCmec elements (aadD, ermA, merA/B/R/T), toxin gene clusters on pathogenicity islands (sec/l, tst1) or, probably, on plasmids, (sed/j/r), the presence or absence of beta-haemolysin-converting phages (sea, sea-N315, sak, chp, scn), deletions of single chromosomal genes (bbp, clfA) or, occasionally, of rather large clusters of neighbouring genes (seg, sei, sem, sen, seo, seu, lukD/E). Both strains could be split into four major clusters each, based on the presence of a mercury resistance operon (merA/B/R/T) and lukD/E in ST228-MRSA-I or of tst1 and enterotoxin genes seD/J/R in ST5-MRSA-II. The use of this variability for typing purposes as well as its phylogenetic significance are discussed.
Monecke
S
S
Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany. monecke@rocketmail.com
Ehricht
R
R
Slickers
P
P
Wiese
N
N
Jonas
D
D
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors
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