Biotyping of Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus by Enterotoxin Gene Cluster (egc) Polymorphism and spa Typing Analyses

Thirty-five Staphylococcus aureus strains, including 10 reference strains and 25 strains recovered from clinical specimens and food samples, were analyzed by PCR REA (restriction endonucleases analysis) of the egc operon and spa typing. Nineteen spa types and seven different egc operons, including four putative new egc variants, were revealed. In 13 strains, allelic variants of sei and/or seg were found. By an analysis of their nucleotide sequence identities, a new homogeneous cluster of a sei variant, called the sei variant, was detected in six strains. In addition, the prototype sei was shown to be more polymorphic than assumed so far. Seven strains possessed the recently described seg variant, also exhibiting several nucleotide exchanges. spa typing was more effective than REA egc grouping as a typing technique. Since, in some cases, the REA typing method was able to discriminate strains showing the same spa type, it must be considered for PCR approaches involved in diagnostic procedures and may be useful for epidemiological studies. Hence, the polyphasic approach used in this study can be reliably and advantageously applied for typing egc-positive S. aureus strains.     

多位点序列分型在食源性金黄色葡萄球菌分型中的应用研究

对食源性金黄色葡萄球菌进行多位点序列分型(MLST)分析,了解其基因型特征,并与流行病学资料进行对比分析。应用MLST方法对2012年石家庄市分离出的18株食源性金葡菌进行基因分型,并对该地区食源性金葡菌分子特性和流行病学特性进行分析。18株食源性金葡菌通过MLST分析得到10个ST序列型,其中ST5序列型最多,共5株;其次为ST464序列型,共3株;ST7型和ST15各2株;ST6型、ST9型、ST59型和ST2138型各1株,有2个菌株是2个新的ST型其ST码分别为287-1-1-8-1-1-1和10-14-8-6-278-3-2。本地区食源性金葡菌的ST型别丰富,主要流行克隆系为ST5和ST464,ST6、ST7、ST9、ST15、ST59和ST2138等克隆系也有分布。     

Typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with IS256

A simple one-step procedure is described for specifically amplifying and labelling insertion element IS256 which is associated with the gentamicin-resistance transposon Tn4001. The product has been used to probe DNA digests of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The resulting restriction fragment length polymorphisms were found to be able to distinguish isolates which were indistinguishable by other typing methods. The probe also hybridised with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus which were isolated before the emergence of gentamicin resistance, demonstrating its usefulness in typing species other than those that are gentamicin-resistant.     

Biotyping of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus by enterotoxin gene cluster (egc) polymorphism and spa typing analyses

Thirty-five Staphylococcus aureus strains, including 10 reference strains and 25 strains recovered from clinical specimens and food samples, were analyzed by PCR REA (restriction endonucleases analysis) of the egc operon and spa typing. Nineteen spa types and seven different egc operons, including four putative new egc variants, were revealed. In 13 strains, allelic variants of sei and/or seg were found. By an analysis of their nucleotide sequence identities, a new homogeneous cluster of a sei variant, called the sei variant, was detected in six strains. In addition, the prototype sei was shown to be more polymorphic than assumed so far. Seven strains possessed the recently described seg variant, also exhibiting several nucleotide exchanges. spa typing was more effective than REA egc grouping as a typing technique. Since, in some cases, the REA typing method was able to discriminate strains showing the same spa type, it must be considered for PCR approaches involved in diagnostic procedures and may be useful for epidemiological studies. Hence, the polyphasic approach used in this study can be reliably and advantageously applied for typing egc-positive S. aureus strains.     

Typing of human and bovine Staphylococcus aureus by RAPD-PCR and ribotyping-PCR

AIMS : The aim of this study was to investigate the production of ethyl carbamate (EC) precursors by Lactobacillus hilgardii in model and Douro fortified wines and to determine the relationship between these compounds and EC levels in this type of wine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Several model fortified wines and fortified wine inoculated with L. hilgardii were analysed for citrulline and EC formation. A good correlation (R > 0.9) was obtained between citrulline and potential EC (that EC which is formed during heating of sample at 80 degrees C for 48 h). CONCLUSIONS: This correlation allowed us to calculate the potential EC formed during lactic acid bacteria activity in fortified wine. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: A good correlation was obtained (R=0.92) between measured and calculated EC in spoiled fortified wines, citrulline apparently being the main EC precursor produced by Lact. hilgardii thus contributing to the potential EC in this type of wine.     

金黄色葡萄球菌的耐药性分析及基因分型研究

目的通过分析上海地区院内分离金黄色葡萄球菌的药敏谱型及对耐甲氧西林的金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）进行基因谱型的研究,了解金黄色葡萄球菌的院内流行状况。方法对临床分离出的43株金黄色葡萄球菌进行药敏试验和SCCmec基因盒的多重PCR检测,并将结果整合后用MEGA3．1软件分析其进化相关关系。结果药敏结果显示43株金葡菌对青霉素和甲氧西林的耐药率最高。甲氧西林的耐药率达到62．8％。MecA阳性菌株SCCmec的分型显示均为Ⅱ型或Ⅲ型,且所占比例相近,未见Ⅰ型和Ⅳ型。进化树分析发现了在同一医院中亲缘关系相近的菌株,为院内感染流行株。结论MecA基因介导的MRSA在分离菌株中所占比例高,存在院内感染爆发性流行。     

Diverse modulation of spa transcription by cell wall active antibiotics in Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various classes of clinically relevant antibiotics at sub-lethal concentrations on virulence gene expression and biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus. FINDINGS: LacZ promoter fusions of genes related to staphylococcal virulence were used to monitor the effects of antibiotics on gene expression in a disc diffusion assay. The selected genes were hla and spa encoding alpha-hemolysin and Protein A, respectively and RNAIII, the effector molecule of the agr quorum sensing system. The results were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, we monitored the effect of subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on the ability of S. aureus to form biofilm in a microtiter plate assay. The results show that sub-lethal antibiotic concentrations diversely modulate expression of RNAIII, hla and spa. Consistently, expression of all three genes were repressed by aminoglycosides and induced by fluoroquinolones and penicillins. In contrast, the beta-lactam sub-group cephalosporins enhanced expression of RNAIII and hla but diversely affected expression of spa. The compounds cefalotin, cefamandole, cefoxitin, ceftazidime and cefixine were found to up-regulate spa, while down-regulation was observed for cefuroxime, cefotaxime and cefepime. Interestingly, biofilm assays demonstrated that the spa-inducing cefalotin resulted in less biofilm formation compared to the spa-repressing cefotaxime. CONCLUSIONS: We find that independently of the cephalosporin generation, cephalosporins oppositely regulate spa expression and biofilm formation. Repression of spa expression correlates with the presence of a distinct methyloxime group while induction correlates with an acidic substituted oxime group. As cephalosporines target the cell wall penicillin binding proteins we speculate that subtle differences in this interaction fine-tunes spa expression independently of agr.     

金黄色葡萄球菌耐消毒剂基因及抗生素耐药相关基因检测

目的 了解温州地区临床分离的金黄色葡萄球菌(SA)的耐药特点,探讨SA中耐β-内酰胺类、氨基糖苷类、四环素类药物耐药基因及耐消毒剂基因(qacA)的存在情况.方法 采用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)法对SA进行β-内酰胺酶基因、氨基糖苷类修饰酶基因、四环素类基因和耐消毒剂基因检测.结果 PCR结果显示94株SA中耐药相关基因检出率mecA 53.2％、aac(6’)/aph(2")68.1％、aph(3’)-Ⅲ 37.2％、tetM 53.2％和qacA 7.4％,其中59株MRSA的耐药相关基因检出率分别为mecA 83.1％、aac(6’)/aph(2")86.4％、aph(3 ′)-Ⅲ 42.4％、tetM 76.4％和qacA 8.5％.结论 多数SA菌株存在耐β-内酰胺类、氨基糖苷类、四环素类等多种抗生素耐药基因,具有多重耐药特征,但尚未出现明显耐消毒剂状况.     

Determination of Genome Size of Selected Typing Bacteriophages of Staphylococcus aureus

The molecular weights of six representative typing bacteriophages were determined by sucrose gradient centrifugation. Genome size appeared to be related to the size of the phage head.     

Base Ratio and Deoxyribonucleic Acid Homology Studies of Six Staphylococcus aureus Typing Bacteriophages

Genetic relatedness among Staphylococcus aureus typing bacteriophages 80, 47, 81, 71, 77, and 187 was investigated by using base ratio determinations and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-DNA hybridization. Guanine/cytosine (G/C) content, as determined by thermal denaturation and chromatographic analysis of the purines released by acid hydrolysis of the DNA, was between 31 and 36%. No pattern correlating G/C content with serological or lytic group was discernible. DNA-DNA hybridization studies indicated high degrees of homology (43% or more) among the genomes of phages in the same serological group. Less homology (29% or less) was observed between the genomes of phages belonging to different serological groups. These findings implied a positive correlation between serological and genetic relatedness.     

Diversity of staphylocoagulase and identification of novel variants of staphylocoagulase gene in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylocoagulase (SC) is a major phenotypic determinant of Staphylococcus aureus. Serotype of SC (coagulase type) is used as an epidemiological marker and 10 types (I-X) have been discriminated so far. To clarify genetic diversity of SC within a single and among different serotype(s), we determined approximately 1500 bp-nucleotide sequences of SC gene encoding D1, D2, and central regions (N-terminal half and central regions of SC; SC(NC)) for a total of 33 S. aureus strains comprising two to three strains from individual coagulase types (I-VIII, X) and 10 strains which were not determined as previously known SC serotypes (ND-strains). Amino acid sequence identities of SC(NC) among strains with a single coagulase type of II, III, IV, V, VI and X were extremely high (more than 99%), whereas lower identity (56-87%) was observed among different types. In contrast, within a single coagulase type of I, VII, or VIII, sequence divergence was found (lowest identity; 82%). SC(NC) sequences from the ND-strains were discriminated into two genetic groups with an identity of 71% to each other (tentatively assigned to genotypes [XI] and [XII]), and exhibited less than 86% sequence identities to those of most known coagulase types. All the types [XI] and [XII] strains were methicillin susceptible and belonged to different sequence types from those of coagulase types I-X strains reported so far by multilocus sequence typing. These findings indicated genetic heterogeneity of SC in coagulase types I, VII, and VIII strains, and the presence of two novel SC genotypes related to antigenicity of SC serotypes.     

Comparison of Capsular Typing of Staphylococcus aureus with Bacteriophage Typing: A Study in Gulbarga, India

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is important both as a nosocomial and community acquired pathogen causing various degrees of infections. Typing S. aureus has been a question that is still being addressed. Bacteriophage typing is still used as a golden standard for typing though molecular methods are investigated. In developing countries where neither molecular typing nor the bacteriophage typing methods can be routinely used, the recently developed capsular typing method can be considered as screening method. We compared capsular typing with bacteriophage typing of the strains isolated in Gulbarga, India. We observed that the typeability of capsular typing was significantly higher (96%) among the phage typed strains, and the predominant capsular type in the region was type-8. The data so generated can be used to group S. aureus based on capsules both as a screening prior to bacteriophage typing, and to identify capsular candidate for developing prophylactic and therapeutic alternatives.     

A Cooling Modification to an Apparatus for Phage Typing of Staphylococcus aureus

Difficulty is experienced through overheating of the Tarr apparatus for phage typing. The provision of a cooling coil which overcomes this difficulty is described.     

Combined Use of Ribotyping,PFGE Typing and IS431 Typing in the Discrimination of Nosocomial Strains of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

We have previously reported the phenotypic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical strains isolated in Malaya University Hospital in the period 1987 to 1989 using antibiogram, coagulase typing, plasmid profiles, and phage typing. Here, we report the analysis of the same strains with three genotyping methods; ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing, and IS431 typing (a restriction enzyme fragment length polymorphism analysis using an IS431 probe). Ribotyping could discriminate 46 clinical MRSA strains into 5 ribotypes, PFGE typing into 22 types, and IS431 typing into 15 types. Since the differences of the three genotyping patterns from strain to strain were quite independent from one another, the combined use of the three genotyping methods could discriminate 46 strains into 39 genotypes. Thus, the powerful discriminatory ability of the combination was demonstrated.