This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bressler, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Nolte, F. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bressler, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Nolte, F. S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4541-4544, Vol. 43, No. 9
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.9.4541-4544.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Correlation of Penicillin Binding Protein 2a Detection with Oxacillin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and Discovery of a Novel Penicillin Binding Protein 2a Mutation

Adam M. Bressler,1 Teresa Williams,2 Elizabeth E. Culler,1 Wenming Zhu,3 David Lonsway,3 Jean B. Patel,3 and Frederick S. Nolte1*

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine,1 Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Emory University Hospital,2 Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia3

Received 10 March 2005/ Returned for modification 25 May 2005/ Accepted 14 June 2005

We compared a rapid slide latex agglutination test (LAT; Oxoid, Basingstoke, United Kingdom) that detects penicillin binding protein 2a (PBP2a) with MicroScan conventional panels (Dade Behring, West Sacramento, CA) for detection of oxacillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. The PBP2a LAT demonstrated 99% agreement with MicroScan oxacillin MIC results for 388 isolates of S. aureus. All 249 oxacillin-resistant isolates gave strong positive reactions in the LAT (100% sensitivity). Three of the 139 oxacillin-susceptible isolates were also strongly positive and one was weakly positive in the LAT (97.1% specificity). The three oxacillin-susceptible isolates with strongly positive reactions were further characterized. The mecA gene was detected in all three by PCR; one isolate was determined to be resistant to oxacillin by reference broth microdilution testing (MIC, 8 µg/ml), one isolate was inducibly resistant to oxacillin (MIC of 16 µg/ml after overnight induction), and one isolate remained susceptible regardless of the method used for testing. Sequence analysis of a 2.1-kb gene fragment of the mecA gene from the susceptible isolate revealed a one-base substitution at nucleotide position 1449 which results in a Met-to-Ile change for amino acid residue 483. This amino acid substitution has not been previously reported and may be associated with a change in the function of PBP2a resulting in oxacillin susceptibility. An additional 487 isolates were tested in parallel with the both the LAT and MicroScan panels using criteria in which only strong (3 to 4+) or repeatedly weak (1 to 2+) LAT reactions were considered positive, and the results showed 99.4% agreement. The PBP2a LAT provided rapid and reliable detection of oxacillin resistance and proved a useful adjunct to the phenotypic method. Both methods provided reliable detection of oxacillin-resistant S. aureus and facilitated the discovery of a novel, functionally impaired form of PBP2a.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Emory University Hospital, Room F145, 1364 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: (404) 712-7297. Fax: (404) 712-4632. E-mail: fnolte{at}emory.edu.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2005, p. 4541-4544, Vol. 43, No. 9
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.9.4541-4544.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Bemis, D. A., Jones, R. D., Frank, L. A., Kania, S. A. (2009). Evaluation of susceptibility test breakpoints used to predict mecA-mediated resistance in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolated from dogs. jvdi 21: 53-58 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nakaminami, H., Noguchi, N., Ikeda, M., Hasui, M., Sato, M., Yamamoto, S., Yoshida, T., Asano, T., Senoue, M., Sasatsu, M. (2008). Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibilities of 273 exfoliative toxin-encoding-gene-positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with impetigo in Japan. J Med Microbiol 57: 1251-1258 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»