title: Identification of a novel vga(E) gene variant that confers resistance to pleuromutilins, lincosamides and streptogramin A antibiotics in staphylococci of porcine origin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the genetic basis of pleuromutilin resistance in coagulase-negative staphylococci of porcine origin that do not carry known pleuromutilin resistance genes and to determine the localization and genetic environment of the identified resistance gene.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasmid DNA of two pleuromutilin-resistant Staphylococcus cohnii and Staphylococcus simulans isolates was transformed into Staphylococcus aureus RN4220. The identified resistance plasmids were sequenced completely. The candidate gene for pleuromutilin resistance was cloned into shuttle vector pAM401. S. aureus RN4220 transformants carrying this recombinant shuttle vector were tested for their MICs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  S. cohnii isolate SA-7 and S. simulans isolate SSI1 carried the same plasmid of 5584 bp, designated pSA-7. A variant of the vga(E) gene was detected, which encodes a 524 amino acid ATP-binding cassette protein. The variant gene shared 85.7% nucleotide sequence identity and the variant protein 85.3% amino acid sequence identity with the original vga(E) gene and Vga(E) protein, respectively. The Vga(E) variant conferred cross-resistance to pleuromutilins, lincosamides and streptogramin A antibiotics. Plasmid pSA-7 showed an organization similar to that of the apmA-carrying plasmid pKKS49 from methicillin-resistant S. aureus and the dfrK-carrying plasmid pKKS966 from Staphylococcus hyicus. Sequence comparisons suggested that recombination events may have played a role in the acquisition of this vga(E) variant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A novel vga(E) gene variant was identified, which was located on a small plasmid and was not associated with the transposon Tn6133 [in contrast to the original vga(E) gene]. The plasmid location may enable its further dissemination to other staphylococci and possibly also to other bacteria.
authors: Beijing Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Animal-Derived Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P. R. China.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Li
authors: Beibei
authors: B
authors: Li
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Wendlandt
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Schwarz
authors: Yang
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Congming
authors: C
authors: Wu
authors: Zhiyong
authors: Z
authors: Ma
authors: Jianzhong
authors: J
authors: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D055231:Lincosamides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D025364:Streptogramin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013552:Swine; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial; D000097567:Pleuromutilins
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004224:Diterpenes; D055231:Lincosamides; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D025364:Streptogramin A; D000097567:Pleuromutilins
keywords: ABC transporters; animal staphylococci; plasmids; recombination; transposons