Open AccessPrevalence of macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B resistance and erm gene classes among clinical strains of staphylococci and streptococci
Author(s) -
W D Jenssen,
Smita ThakkerVaria,
Donald T. Dubin,
Melvin P. Weinstein
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.07
H-Index - 259
eISSN - 1070-6283
pISSN - 0066-4804
DOI - 10.1128/aac.31.6.883
Subject(s) - lincosamides , microbiology and biotechnology , erythromycin , clindamycin , staphylococcus , coagulase , biology , staphylococcus haemolyticus , staphylococcus aureus , antibiotics , bacteria , genetics
A total of 332 staphylococcal and 263 streptococcal isolates from three hospital microbiology laboratories were tested with erythromycin, clindamycin, and vernamycin B alpha to determine the prevalence of macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B resistance. Constitutive resistance was detected in 28 Staphylococcus aureus isolates (15.5%), 53 coagulase-negative staphylococci (35.1%), and 20 streptococci (7.6%). Inducible resistance was observed in 13 S. aureus isolates (7.2%), 25 coagulase-negative staphylococci (16.6%), and 2 streptococci (0.8%). Eleven coagulase-negative staphylococci (7.3%) exhibited a novel phenotype, namely inducible resistance to erythromycin and vernamycin B alpha but not clindamycin. Among the staphylococci, two variants of the inducible phenotype detected with the agar diffusion assay correlated with the presence of classical ermA or ermC genes, respectively, by dot-blot analysis. The prevalence of the staphylococcal phenotypes were different in the hospitals surveyed, and there was an apparent inverse correlation between the resistance observed and the use of erythromycin in each hospital.