Skin Commensal Staphylococci May Act as Reservoir for Fusidic Acid Resistance Genes

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 18;10(11):e0143106. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143106. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

We analyzed the occurrence and mechanisms of fusidic acid resistance present in staphylococci isolated from 59 healthy volunteers. The fingers of the volunteers were screened for the presence of staphylococci, and the collected isolates were tested for resistance to fusidic acid. A total of 34 fusidic acid resistant staphylococcal strains (all were coagulase-negative) were isolated from 22 individuals (22/59, 37.3%). Examination of the resistance genes revealed that acquired fusB or fusC was present in Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus capitis subsp. urealyticus, Staphylococcus hominis subsp. hominis, Staphylococcus warneri and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Resistance islands (RIs) carrying fusB were found in S. epidermidis and S. capitis subsp. urealyticus, while staphylococcal chromosome cassette (SCC)-related structures harboring fusC were found in S. hominis subsp. hominis. Genotypic analysis of S. epidermidis and S. hominis subsp. hominis indicated that the fus elements were disseminated in diverse genetic strain backgrounds. The fusC elements in S. hominis subsp. hominis strains were highly homologous to SCCfusC in the epidemic sequence type (ST) 239/SCCmecIII methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) or the pseudo SCCmec in ST779 MRSA. The presence of acquired fusidic acid resistance genes and their genetic environment in commensal staphylococci suggested that the skin commensal staphylococci may act as reservoir for fusidic acid resistance genes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Base Sequence
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Fusidic Acid / pharmacology*
  • Genes, Bacterial*
  • Genotype
  • Hand
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Skin / microbiology*
  • Species Specificity
  • Staphylococcus / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus / genetics*

Substances

  • Fusidic Acid

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AB930126
  • GENBANK/AB930127
  • GENBANK/AB930128

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC 100-2320-B-002-014-MY3) and from Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (MOST 103-2320-B-002-056-MY3).