Udo EE, Farook VS, Mokadas EM, Jacob LE, Sanyal SC. Molecular fingerprinting of mupirocin-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a burn unit.
Int J Infect Dis 1999;
3:82-7. [PMID:
10225985 DOI:
10.1016/s1201-9712(99)90014-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To characterize mupirocin-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from patients in a burn unit by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and plasmid contents.
METHODS
A total of 53 methicillin-resistant S. aureus, consisting of 48 mupirocin-resistant and 5 mupirocin-susceptible MRSA were compared by plasmid content and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Sma I digested genomic DNA.
RESULTS
Of the 48 mupirocin-resistant isolates, 39 expressed high-level, and 9 expressed low-level mupirocin resistance. Plasmids were detected in all of the 53 isolates; however, only the high-level mupirocin-resistant isolates contained a 38 kb-conjugative plasmid that encoded high-level mupirocin resistance. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis divided the isolates into four patterns designated types I to IV. Forty-three isolates consisting of 34 high-level, 5 low-level mupirocin-resistant and 4 mupirocin-susceptible isolates defined the type-I pattern. Eight isolates, five high-level and three low-level mupirocin-resistant isolates had the type-II pulsed-field pattern. The type-III and type-IV pulsed-field patterns consisted of a single isolate each. The type-I and type-II pulsed-field patterns were related and only differed by four Sma I bands.
CONCLUSIONS
Results of typing the mupirocin-resistant MRSA from the burn unit with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis indicated that closely related MRSA clones previously circulating in the unit had acquired a high-level mupirocin-resistant plasmid, and spread aided by mupirocin use.
Collapse