Polyclonal dissemination of tetracycline resistance among Streptococcus pyogenes paediatric isolates from Brazil.
BACKGROUND
Scarce data are available on Group A Streptococcus (GAS) antibiotic resistance in South America.


METHODS
The antibiotic susceptibility patterns of GAS recovered from symptomatic children living in the central part of Brazil during a prospective epidemiological study were analyzed.


RESULTS
No isolates were resistant to penicillin or macrolides.  Sixty-one percent of the isolates were highly resistant to tetracycline, of which 85% harboured the tetM resistance gene. Ninety-five percent of these tetracycline resistant isolates were also resistant to minocycline. Thirty different emm-types were associated with tetracycline resistance. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that tetracycline resistance arose independently in distantly related emm-types.


CONCLUSIONS
A high level of GAS tetracycline resistance has been observed in the central part of Brazil due to the polyclonal dissemination of resistant emm-types.
Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. psmeeste@ulb.ac.be
Pierre Robert
PR
Smeesters
Sabina
S
Cadar
Pierre-Alexandre
PA
Drèze
Dioclécio
D
Campos
Laurence
L
Van Melderen
D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008911:Minocycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013753:Tetracycline Resistance / Q000235:genetics*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018942:Macrolides; D010406:Penicillins; C014689:streptococcal M protein; D008911:Minocycline