"Mobile genetic elements responsible for discordant <em>Staphylococcus " by Isabella A. Tickler, Richard V. Goering et al.
 

Mobile genetic elements responsible for discordant Staphylococcus aureus phenotypes and genotypes in the same blood culture bottle

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2020

Publication Source

Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease

Abstract

Approximately 15-20% of the S. aureus genome contains mobile genetic elements that can cause discrepancies between phenotypic and genotypic identification methods. Three blood culture bottles (each from a different patient) that showed discordant results, were shown to contain 2 S. aureus isolates after additional subcultures. One bottle had MRSA and MSSA that by DNA sequence analysis differed only by 31 kb; however, the deletions encompassed parts of SCCmec including mecA and SCCM1. The second bottle contained MRSA and MSSA that differed by 124 kb; the MSSA was missing the entire SCCmec and spa regions. The last bottle contained 2 MRSA, one with ACME II disrupting SCCmec and a 24 bp spa deletion. The deletions in SCCmec and the other elements gave rise to the discrepancies between molecular and the original culture results. Such discrepancies should prompt a search for additional strains in the blood culture bottle.

ISBN/ISSN

Print ISSN: 0732-8893; Online ISSN: 1879-0070

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

98

Issue

4

Keywords

Blood culture, Evolution, MRSA, Mobile genetic elements, Staphylococcus aureus, Whole genome sequencing


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