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Detection of mecA, femA, and femB genes in clinical strains of staphylococci using polymerase chain reaction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

N. Kobayashi ,
H. Wu ,
K. Kojima ,
K. Taniguchi ,
S. Urasawa ,
N. Uehara ,
Y. Omizu ,
Y. Kishi ,
A. Yagihashi  and
I. Kurokawa
N. Kobayashi
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
H. Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
K. Kojima
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
K. Taniguchi
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
S. Urasawa
Affiliation:
Department of Hygiene, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
N. Uehara
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
Y. Omizu
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
Y. Kishi
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
A. Yagihashi
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
I. Kurokawa
Affiliation:
Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, S-1, W-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060, Japan
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MecA, a structural gene located on the chromosome of Staphylococcus aureus, characterizes methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and femA and femB(fem) genes encode proteins which influence the level of methicillin resistance of S. aureus. In order to examine effectiveness of detecting mecA and fem genes in identification of MRSA, the presence of these genes in 237 clinically isolated strains of staphylococci was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An amplified mecA DNA fragment of 533 base pairs (bp) was detected in 100% of oxacillin-resistant S. aureus, in 16·7 % of oxacillin-sensitive S. aureus, in 81·5% of S. epidermidis, and in 58·3% of other coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). While the PCR product of femA (509 bp) or femB (651 bp) was obtained from almost all the S. aureus strains except for five oxacillin-resistant strains (2·5%), neither of these genes were detected in CNS. Therefore, the detection of femA and femB together with mecA by PCR was considered to be a more reliable indicator to identify MRSA by differentiating it from mecA-positive CNS than single detection of mecA.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 113 , Issue 2 , October 1994 , pp. 259 - 266
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

References

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