The distribution of plasmids that carry virulence and resistance genes in Staphylococcus aureus is lineage associated
Open Access
- 1 January 2012
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Microbiology
- Vol. 12 (1), 1-8
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2180-12-104
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is major human and animal pathogen. Plasmids often carry resistance genes and virulence genes that can disseminate through S. aureus populations by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mechanisms. Sequences of S. aureus plasmids in the public domain and data from multi-strain microarrays were analysed to investigate (i) the distribution of resistance genes and virulence genes on S. aureus plasmids, and (ii) the distribution of plasmids between S. aureus lineages. A total of 21 plasmid rep gene families, of which 13 were novel to this study, were characterised using a previously proposed classification system. 243 sequenced plasmids were assigned to 39 plasmid groups that each possessed a unique combination of rep genes. We show some resistance genes (including ermC and cat) and virulence genes (including entA, entG, entJ, entP) were associated with specific plasmid groups suggesting there are genetic pressures preventing recombination of these genes into novel plasmid groups. Whole genome microarray analysis revealed that plasmid rep, resistance and virulence genes were associated with S. aureus lineages, suggesting restriction-modification (RM) barriers to HGT of plasmids between strains exist. Conjugation transfer (tra) complex genes were rare. This study argues that genetic pressures are restraining the spread of resistance and virulence genes amongst S. aureus plasmids, and amongst S. aureus populations, delaying the emergence of fully virulent and resistant strains.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Staphylococcus aureus Temperate Bacteriophage: Carriage and Horizontal Gene Transfer is Lineage AssociatedFrontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2012
- Design, Validation, and Application of a Seven-Strain Staphylococcus aureus PCR Product Microarray for Comparative GenomicsApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2005
- Genetic Analysis of a High-Level Vancomycin-Resistant Isolate of Staphylococcus aureusScience, 2003
- Complete Nucleotide Sequence of a Staphylococcus aureus Exfoliative Toxin B Plasmid and Identification of a Novel ADP-Ribosyltransferase, EDIN-CInfection and Immunity, 2001
- BACTERIAL HEAVY METAL RESISTANCE: New SurprisesAnnual Review of Microbiology, 1996
- Intra- and inter-species mobilisation of non-conjugative plasmids in staphylococciJournal of Medical Microbiology, 1992
- Comparative analysis of five related staphylococcal plasmidsPlasmid, 1988
- Plasmid incompatibility.1987
- A site-specific recombination function in Staphylococcus aureus plasmidsJournal of Bacteriology, 1987
- Cloning and expression of the exfoliative toxin B gene from Staphylococcus aureusJournal of Bacteriology, 1986