RESUMO
The plasmid-borne qacA and qacB genes encode a multidrug efflux protein. The proteins encoded by qacA and qacB mediate efflux of cationic antiseptic agents such as quaternary ammonium compounds. In methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), qacA and qacB are widely prevalent and decrease antiseptic susceptibility. However, it is difficult to find the plasmids encoding qacA or qacB in community-associated MRSA (C-MRSA) isolated from patients with impetigo. Most MRSA, the strains causative of impetigo, carry the plasmid-borne exfoliative toxin-producing gene etb. To find the reason for the paucity of qacA or qacB in MRSA isolated from patients with impetigo, we performed transfer experiments of the plasmid pTZ2162qacB encoding qacB. The pTZ2162qacB was transferred to S. aureus strain RN4220 by transduction, although no pTZ2162qacB was transferred by conjugation. Additionally, pTZ2162qacB was transduced to MRSA carrying etb, and was coexistence with the plasmid encoding etb. Our results showed that pTZ2162qacB was horizontally transferred by transduction and was compatible with the plasmid encoding etb. Consequently, there will be risk of the emergence of C-MRSA with decreased antiseptic susceptibility among patients with impetigo.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana/genética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Resistência a Meticilina/genética , Plasmídeos/genética , Staphylococcus aureus/genética , Tipagem de Bacteriófagos , Southern Blotting , Conjugação Genética , DNA Bacteriano/genética , Humanos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Infecções Estafilocócicas/microbiologia , Transdução GenéticaRESUMO
The susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents of and distributions of antiseptic resistance genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains isolated between 1999 and 2004 in Japan were examined. The data of MRSA strains that are causative agents of impetigo and staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) were compared with those of MRSA strains isolated from patients with other diseases. The susceptibilities to antiseptic agents in MRSA isolates from patients with impetigo and SSSS were higher than those in MRSA isolates from patients with other diseases. The distribution of the qacA/B genes in MRSA strains isolated from patients with impetigo and SSSS (1.3%, 1/76) was remarkably lower than that in MRSA strains isolated from patients with other diseases (45.9%, 95/207). Epidemiologic typings of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that MRSA strains isolated from patients with impetigo and SSSS had type IV SCCmec (75/76), except for one strain, and 64.5% (49/76) of the strains had different PFGE types. In addition, the patterns of restriction digestion of all tested qacA/B plasmid in MRSA isolates having different PFGE types were identical. The results showed that a specific MRSA clone carrying qacA/B was not prevalent, but qacA/B was spread among health care-associated MRSA strains. Therefore, it was concluded that the lower distribution rate of qacA/B resulted in higher susceptibilities to cationic antiseptic agents in MRSA isolated from patients with impetigo and SSSS.
