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 Moore, P. C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Lindsay, J. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Moore, P. C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Lindsay, J. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2001, p. 2760-2767, Vol. 39, No. 8
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.8.2760-2767.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Genetic Variation among Hospital Isolates of Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus: Evidence for Horizontal Transfer of Virulence Genes

P. C. L. Moore and J. A. Lindsay*

Department of Infectious Diseases, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London SW17 0RE, United Kingdom

Received 5 January 2001/Returned for modification 26 February 2001/Accepted 2 May 2001

Staphylococcus aureus strains often carry in their genomes virulence genes that are not found in all strains and that may be carried on discrete genetic elements. Strains also differ in that they carry one of four classes of an accessory gene regulator (agr) locus, an operon that regulates virulence factor expression and that has been proposed to be a therapeutic target. To look at their distribution among hospital strains, we investigated 38 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates, classifying the isolates by agr class and screening them for the presence and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of 12 core and 14 accessory virulence genes. Twenty-three (61%) were agr class I, 10 (26%) were agr class II, and 5 (13%) were agr class III. None were agr class IV. The S. aureus strains had distinguishable RFLP profiles, although clusters of isolates with clearly related core gene profiles were found among our strains, including all five agr class III strains, two sets of six strains within agr class I, and six strains within agr class II. Within these clusters there was evidence of horizontal acquisition and/or loss of multiple accessory virulence genes. Furthermore, two isolates from the same patient were identical except for the presence of the sea gene, indicating that movement of mobile elements may occur in vivo. Several strong correlations with the carriage of virulence genes between strains were seen, including a positive correlation between tst and agr class III and negative correlations between tst and lukE-splB and between lukE-splB and seg-sei. This suggests that the core genome or the presence of accessory genetic elements within a strain may influence acquisition and loss of other elements encoding virulence genes.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Infectious Diseases, St. George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terr., Tooting, London SW17 0RE, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 20 8725 0445. Fax: 44 20 8725 3487. E-mail: jlindsay{at}sghms.ac.uk.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2001, p. 2760-2767, Vol. 39, No. 8
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.8.2760-2767.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Wang, W.-Y., Lee, S.-Y., Chiueh, T.-S., Lu, J.-J. (2009). Molecular and Phenotypic Characteristics of Methicillin-Resistant and Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Patients with Septic Arthritis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 3617-3623 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lindsay, J. A. (2009). For CA-MRSA, how much PVL is too much?. Microbiology 155: 3473-3474 [Full Text]  
  • Shukla, S. K., Kislow, J., Briska, A., Henkhaus, J., Dykes, C. (2009). Optical Mapping Reveals a Large Genetic Inversion between Two Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains. J. Bacteriol. 191: 5717-5723 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Argudin, M. A., Mendoza, M. C., Mendez, F. J., Martin, M. C., Guerra, B., Rodicio, M. R. (2009). Clonal Complexes and Diversity of Exotoxin Gene Profiles in Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Patients in a Spanish Hospital. J. Clin. Microbiol. 47: 2097-2105 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Udo, E. E., O'Brien, F. G., Al-Sweih, N., Noronha, B., Matthew, B., Grubb, W. B. (2008). Genetic Lineages of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Kuwait Hospitals. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 3514-3516 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goering, R. V., Shawar, R. M., Scangarella, N. E., O'Hara, F. P., Amrine-Madsen, H., West, J. M., Dalessandro, M., Becker, J. A., Walsh, S. L., Miller, L. A., van Horn, S. F., Thomas, E. S., Twynholm, M. E. (2008). Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Global Clinical Trials. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 2842-2847 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cai, Y., Kong, F., Wang, Q., Tong, Z., Sintchenko, V., Zeng, X., Gilbert, G. L. (2007). Comparison of Single- and Multilocus Sequence Typing and Toxin Gene Profiling for Characterization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 3302-3308 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Holtfreter, S., Grumann, D., Schmudde, M., Nguyen, H. T. T., Eichler, P., Strommenger, B., Kopron, K., Kolata, J., Giedrys-Kalemba, S., Steinmetz, I., Witte, W., Broker, B. M. (2007). Clonal Distribution of Superantigen Genes in Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolates. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 2669-2680 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sung, J. M.-L., Lindsay, J. A. (2007). Staphylococcus aureus Strains That are Hypersusceptible to Resistance Gene Transfer from Enterococci. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 51: 2189-2191 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hallin, M., Denis, O., Deplano, A., De Mendonca, R., De Ryck, R., Rottiers, S., Struelens, M. J. (2007). Genetic relatedness between methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: results of a national survey. J Antimicrob Chemother 59: 465-472 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fortunov, R. M., Hulten, K. G., Hammerman, W. A., Mason, E. O. Jr, Kaplan, S. L. (2006). Community-Acquired Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Term and Near-Term Previously Healthy Neonates. Pediatrics 118: 874-881 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Waldron, D. E., Lindsay, J. A. (2006). Sau1: a Novel Lineage-Specific Type I Restriction-Modification System That Blocks Horizontal Gene Transfer into Staphylococcus aureus and between S. aureus Isolates of Different Lineages.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 5578-5585 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Layer, F., Ghebremedhin, B., Konig, W., Konig, B. (2006). Heterogeneity of Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Strains at a German University Hospital Implicates the Circulating-Strain Pool as a Potential Source of Emerging Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus Clones.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 2179-2185 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gonzalez, B. E., Teruya, J., Mahoney, D. H. Jr, Hulten, K. G., Edwards, R., Lamberth, L. B., Hammerman, W. A., Mason, E. O. Jr, Kaplan, S. L. (2006). Venous Thrombosis Associated With Staphylococcal Osteomyelitis in Children. Pediatrics 117: 1673-1679 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Naffa, R. G., Bdour, S. M., Migdadi, H. M., Shehabi, A. A. (2006). Enterotoxicity and genetic variation among clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates in Jordan. J Med Microbiol 55: 183-187 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kuhn, G., Francioli, P., Blanc, D. S. (2006). Evidence for Clonal Evolution among Highly Polymorphic Genes in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 188: 169-178 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tenover, F. C., McDougal, L. K., Goering, R. V., Killgore, G., Projan, S. J., Patel, J. B., Dunman, P. M. (2006). Characterization of a Strain of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Widely Disseminated in the United States. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 108-118 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stephens, A. J., Huygens, F., Inman-Bamber, J., Price, E. P., Nimmo, G. R., Schooneveldt, J., Munckhof, W., Giffard, P. M. (2006). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus genotyping using a small set of polymorphisms. J Med Microbiol 55: 43-51 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Witney, A. A., Marsden, G. L., Holden, M. T. G., Stabler, R. A., Husain, S. E., Vass, J. K., Butcher, P. D., Hinds, J., Lindsay, J. A. (2005). Design, Validation, and Application of a Seven-Strain Staphylococcus aureus PCR Product Microarray for Comparative Genomics. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7504-7514 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wright, J. S. III, Traber, K. E., Corrigan, R., Benson, S. A., Musser, J. M., Novick, R. P. (2005). The agr Radiation: an Early Event in the Evolution of Staphylococci. J. Bacteriol. 187: 5585-5594 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Engelbert, M., Gilmore, M. S. (2005). Fas Ligand but Not Complement Is Critical for Control of Experimental Staphylococcus aureus Endophthalmitis. IOVS 46: 2479-2486 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Miller, L. G., Perdreau-Remington, F., Rieg, G., Mehdi, S., Perlroth, J., Bayer, A. S., Tang, A. W., Phung, T. O., Spellberg, B. (2005). Necrotizing Fasciitis Caused by Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Los Angeles. NEJM 352: 1445-1453 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dunman, P. M., Mounts, W., McAleese, F., Immermann, F., Macapagal, D., Marsilio, E., McDougal, L., Tenover, F. C., Bradford, P. A., Petersen, P. J., Projan, S. J., Murphy, E. (2004). Uses of Staphylococcus aureus GeneChips in Genotyping and Genetic Composition Analysis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 4275-4283 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Li, M., Guan, M., Jiang, X. F., Yuan, F. Y., Xu, M., Zhang, W. Z., Lu, Y. (2004). Genetic polymorphism of the accessory gene regulator (agr) locus in Staphylococcus epidermidis and its association with pathogenicity. J Med Microbiol 53: 545-549 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gilot, P., van Leeuwen, W. (2004). Comparative Analysis of agr Locus Diversification and Overall Genetic Variability among Bovine and Human Staphylococcus aureus Isolates. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 1265-1269 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shopsin, B., Mathema, B., Alcabes, P., Said-Salim, B., Lina, G., Matsuka, A., Martinez, J., Kreiswirth, B. N. (2003). Prevalence of agr Specificity Groups among Staphylococcus aureus Strains Colonizing Children and Their Guardians. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 456-459 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gilot, P., Lina, G., Cochard, T., Poutrel, B. (2002). Analysis of the Genetic Variability of Genes Encoding the RNA III-Activating Components Agr and TRAP in a Population of Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Cows with Mastitis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 40: 4060-4067 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • MOORE, P.C. L., LINDSAY, J.A. (2002). Molecular characterisation of the dominant UK methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, EMRSA-15 and EMRSA-16. J Med Microbiol 51: 516-521 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sakoulas, G., Eliopoulos, G. M., Moellering, R. C. Jr., Wennersten, C., Venkataraman, L., Novick, R. P., Gold, H. S. (2002). Accessory Gene Regulator (agr) Locus in Geographically Diverse Staphylococcus aureus Isolates with Reduced Susceptibility to Vancomycin. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 46: 1492-1502 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yarwood, J. M., McCormick, J. K., Paustian, M. L., Orwin, P. M., Kapur, V., Schlievert, P. M. (2002). Characterization and Expression Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenicity Island 3. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL PATHOGENICITY ISLANDS. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 13138-13147 [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»