title: Comparative Genotypes, Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) Genes and Antimicrobial Resistance amongst Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus Isolates from Infections in Humans and Companion Animals.
abstract: This study compares the characteristics of Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) and Staphylococcus haemolyticus (SH) isolates from epidemiologically unrelated infections in humans (Hu) (28 SE-Hu; 8 SH-Hu) and companion animals (CpA) (12 SE-CpA; 13 SH-CpA). All isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing, multilocus sequence typing and DNA microarray profiling to detect antimicrobial resistance and SCCmec-associated genes. All methicillin-resistant (MR) isolates (33/40 SE, 20/21 SH) underwent dru and mecA allele typing. Isolates were predominantly assigned to sequence types (STs) within a single clonal complex (CC2, SE, 84.8%; CC1, SH, 95.2%). SCCmec IV predominated among MRSE with ST2-MRSE-IVc common to both Hu (40.9%) and CpA (54.5%). Identical mecA alleles and nontypeable dru types (dts) were identified in one ST2-MRSE-IVc Hu and CpA isolate, however, all mecA alleles and 2/4 dts detected among 18 ST2-MRSE-IVc isolates were closely related, sharing >96.5% DNA sequence homology. Although only one ST-SCCmec type combination (ST1 with a non-typeable [NT] SCCmec NT9 [class C mec and ccrB4]) was common to four MRSH-Hu and one MRSH-CpA, all MRSH isolates were closely related based on similar STs, SCCmec genes (V/VT or components thereof), mecA alleles and dts. Overall, 39.6% of MR isolates harbored NT SCCmec elements, and ACME was more common amongst MRSE and CpA isolates. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected among 96.7% of isolates but they differed in the prevalence of specific macrolide, aminoglycoside and trimethoprim resistance genes amongst SE and SH isolates. Ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, chloramphenicol [fexA, cat-pC221], tetracycline [tet(K)], aminoglycosides [aadD, aphA3] and fusidic acid [fusB] resistance was significantly more common amongst CpA isolates. SE and SH isolates causing infections in Hu and CpA hosts belong predominantly to STs within a single lineage, harboring similar but variable SCCmec genes, mecA alleles and dts. Host and staphylococcal species-specific characteristics were identified in relation to antimicrobial resistance genes and phenotypes, SCCmec and ACME.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Unit, Dublin Dental University Hospital, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Brenda A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Unit, Dublin Dental University Hospital, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Unit, Dublin Dental University Hospital, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Emily C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Deasy
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Unit, Dublin Dental University Hospital, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; National MRSA Reference Laboratory, St. James's Hospital, James's St., Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Gráinne I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: National MRSA Reference Laboratory, St. James's Hospital, James's St., Dublin 8, Ireland; Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O' Connell
authors.affiliation: Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Medizinische Fakultät "Carl Gustav Carus", Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; InfectoGnostics Research Campus, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monecke
authors.affiliation: Alere Technologies GmbH, Jena, Germany; InfectoGnostics Research Campus, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ehricht
authors.affiliation: Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leggett
authors.affiliation: Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Unit, Dublin Dental University Hospital, University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; National MRSA Reference Laboratory, St. James's Hospital, James's St., Dublin 8, Ireland.
authors.forename: Anna C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Shore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002415:Cats; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004285:Dogs; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D020071:Interspersed Repetitive Sequences / Q000235:genetics*; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D057805:Pets / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D041162:Staphylococcus haemolyticus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C487495:MecA protein, Staphylococcus epidermidis