Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Abstract

A Study on Class I Integrons and Antimicrobial Resistance among Clinical Staphylococci Isolates from a Turkish Hospital

Purpose: Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) are increasingly significant in the hospital setting due to multidrug resistance. Integrons are genetic elements that can play a role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. While their role is well established in gram-negative bacteria, less is known about the presence of integrons in gram-positive bacteria. Our aim was to investigate the presence of class 1 integrons in clinical MRS isolates.

Methods: One hundred clinical MRS isolates were included in the study. Identification of MRS isolates was confirmed by multiplex PCR in which staphylococcal 16S rRNA, nuc and mecA genes-specific primers were used. The presence of class 1 integron was investigated by PCR with intI 1-specific primers.

Results: All methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were positive for 16S rRNA, nuc and mecA genes. All methicillin-resistant coagulase negative staphylococci (MRCoNS) were positive for 16S rRNA and mecA, and negative for nuc gene. The existence of class 1 integron was not detected in all the isolates tested. Conclusions: Class 1 integron positive clinicial MRS strains have only been shown in a few studies from East Asia. Further studies are needed in order to determine the significance of integrons in staphylococci and their role in DNA transfer between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.