A clonal complex 12 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, West Australian MRSA-59, harbors a novel pseudo-SCCmec element.
A West Australian methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain (WA MRSA-59) was characterized by microarray and sequencing. Its pseudo-staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) element comprised dcs, Q9XB68-dcs, mvaS-SCC, Q5HJW6, dru, ugpQ, ydeM, mecA-mecR-mecI, txbi mecI, tnp IS431, copA2-mco (copper resistance), ydhK, arsC-arsB-arsR (arsenic resistance), open reading frame PT43, and per-2. Recombinase genes, xylR (mecR2), and PSM-mec (phenol-soluble modulin) were absent. We suggest that mec complex A should be split into two subtypes. One harbors PSM-mec and xylR (mecR2). It is found in SCCmec types II, III, and VIII. The second subtype, described herein, is present in WA MRSA-59 and some coagulase-negative staphylococci.
Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany InfectoGnostics, Forschungscampus, Jena, Germany monecke@rocketmail.com.
Stefan
S
Monecke
Australian Collaborating Centre for Enterococcus and Staphylococcus Species (ACCESS) Typing and Research, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
Geoffrey W
GW
Coombs
Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
Julie
J
Pearson
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany.
Helmut
H
Hotzel
Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany InfectoGnostics, Forschungscampus, Jena, Germany.
Peter
P
Slickers
Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany InfectoGnostics, Forschungscampus, Jena, Germany.
Ralf
R
Ehricht
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins