Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Using mecA/nuc Genes and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Malaysian Clinical Isolates

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study is to compare methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detection methods and to generate antibiogram profile of S. aureus clinical isolates from two teaching hospitals in Malaysia including three reference isolates from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). The mecA/nuc gene PCR amplification, spot inoculation test and oxacillin disc diffusion test were applied to compare its MRSA detection abilities. No disagreement between the three methods was observed. From 29 bacterial isolates (including the ATCC strains) tested, 19 isolates were confirmed as S. aureus with 14 isolates exhibiting multidrug-resistance. All isolates are still susceptible to vancomycin as indicated by the E-test result. Current biochemical tests are comparable with the molecular detection method for MRSA used in this study while multidrug-resistance traits are present in both MRSA and MSSA clinical isolates. Presently, mupirocin seems to be the best alternative for vancomycin against multidrug-resistant S. aureus infections in Malaysia. Susceptibility profile of 19 S. aureus isolates acquired from two teaching hospitals and ATCC towards 16 selected antibiotics was analyzed and an antibiogram was generated. Findings also indicated resistance against many of the available antibiotics and thus an urgent need to search for alternative antibiotics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ala’Aldeen D (2002) A non-multiresistant community MRSA exposes its genome. Lancet 359:1791–1792

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alborzi A, Pourabbas, Ba, Salehi H, Pourabbas, Bh, Oboodi B, Panjehshahin MR (2000) Prevalence and pattern of antibiotic sensitivity of methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Shiraz-Iran. Iran J Med Sci 25:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • AlHaddad AM, Udo EE, Mokadas EM, Sanyal SC, Grubb WB (2001) Persistence of a clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a burn unit. J Med Microbiol 50:558–564

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andrews J (2005). BSAC Disc Diffusion Method for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Ver. 4 January 2005.(www.bsac. org.uk/susceptibility_testing/bsac_standardized_disc_suscep tibility_method.cfm) Accessed on October 2005

  • Bax R, Mullan N, Verhoef J (2000) The millennium bugs–the need for and development of new antibacterials. Int J Antimicrob Agents 16:51–59

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brakstad OG, Assbakk K, Maeland J (1992) Dectection of Staphylococcus aureus by polymerase chain reaction amplification of the nuc gene. J Clin Microbiol 30:1654–1660

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004) Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol 53. New York, pp 322–323

  • Chambers HF (1997) Methicillin resistant Staphylococci: Molecular and biochemical basis and clinical implications. Clin Microbiol Rev 10:781–791

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fluit AC, Visser MR, Schmitz FJ (2001) Molecular detection of antimicrobial resistance. Clin Microbiol Rev 14:836–871

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geisel R, Schmitz FJ, Fluit AC, Labisschinski H (2001) Emergence, mechanism, and clinical implications of reduced glycopeptide susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 20:685–697

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiramatsu K (2001) Vancomycin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus: a new model of antibiotic resistance. Lancet Infect Dis 1:147–155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoiby N (1995) Epidemiologic aspects on antibiotic resistance. Microb Drug Resist 2:137–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livermore DM (2000) Antibiotics resistance in Staphylococci. Int J Antimicrob Agents 16:S2–S10

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu PL, Chin LC, Peng CF, Chiang YH, Chen TP, Ma L, Siu LK (2005) Risk factors and molecular analysis of community methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carriage. J Clin Microbiol 43:132–139

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie FM, Greig P, Morrison D, Edwards G, Gould IM (2002) Identification and characterization of teicoplanin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus blood culture isolates in NE Scotland. J Antimicrob Chemother 50:689–697

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merlino J, Watson J, Rose B, Beard-Pegler M, Gottliedb T, Bradbury R, Harbour C (2002) Detection and expression of methicillin/oxacillin resistance in multidrug-resistant and non-multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Central Sydney, Australia. J Antimicrob Chemother 49:793–801

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • NCCLS. (2004) Performance standards for antimicrobial disk susceptibility tests; Approved Standard M100-S14. 9th edn. pp 42–46. Villanova, Pa: Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ISBN 10-56238-586-0

  • Norazah A, Lim VK, Munirah SN, Kamel AG (2003) Staphylococcus aureus carriage in selected communities and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Med J Malaysia 58:255–261

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norazah A, Lim VKE, Koh YT, Rohani MY, Zuridah H, Spencer K, Ng PP, Kamel AGM (2002) Molecular fingerprinting of fusidic acid- and rifampicin-resistant strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Malaysian hospitals. J Med Microbiol 51:1113–1116

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Norazah A, Koh YT, Kamel AG, Alias R, Lim VK (2001) Mupirocin resistance among Malaysian isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Int J Antimicrob Agents 17:411–414

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oluwatuyi M, Kaatz GW, Gibbons S (2004) Antibacterial and resistance modifying activity of Rosmarinus officinalis. Phytochemistry 65:3249–3254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson DA, Enright MC (2004) Multilocus sequence typing and the evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Clin Microbiol Infection 10:92–97

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rohani MY, Raudah A, Lau MG, Zaidatul AA, Salbiah MN, Keah KC, Noraini A, Zainuldin T (2000) Susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus isolated in Malaysian hospitals. Int J Antimicrob Agents 13:209–213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salmenlinna S, Lyytikainen O, Kotilainen P, Scotford R, Siren E, Vuopio-Varkila J (2000) Molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Finland. Eur J Clinical Microbiol Infect Dis 19:101–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seneviratne RS, Navasivayam P, Perera S, Wickremasinghe RS (2003) Microbiology of cerebral abscess at the neurosurgical unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. Ceylon Med J 48:14–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Strommenger B, Kettlitz C, Werner G, Witte W (2003) Multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of nine clinically relevant antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. J Clin Microbiol 41:4089–4094

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tan TY (2003) Use of molecular techniques for the detection of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Expert Rev Molecular Diagnostics 3:93–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tambyah PA, Habib AG, Toon-Mae BN, Goh H, Kumarasinghe G (2003) Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in Singapore is usually “Healthcare associated”. Infection Control Hospital Epidemiol 24:436–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tenover FC, Jones RN, Swenson JM, Zimmer B, McAllister S, Jorgensen JH (1999) Methods for improved detection of oxacillin resistance in coagulase-negative staphylococci: results of a multicenter study. J Clin Microbiol 37:4051–4058

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tenover FC, Lancester MV, Hill BC, Steward CD, Stocker SA, Hancock GA, O’Hara C.M., McAllister SK, Clark NC, Hiramatsu K (1998) Characterization of staphylococci with reduced susceptibilities to vancomycin and other glycopeptides. J Clin Microbiol 36:1020–1027

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Udo EE, Jacob LE, Mathew B (2001) The spread of a mupirocin-resistant/methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone in Kuwait hospitals. Acta Tropica 80:155–161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoef J, Beaujean D, Blok H, Baars A, Meyler A, van der Werken C, Weersink A (1999) A Dutch approach to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 18:461–466

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walker ES, Vasquez JE, Dula R, Bullock H, Sarubbi FA (2003) Mupirocin-resistant, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: does mupirocin remain effective?. Infection Control Hospital Epidemiol 24:342–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson J, Givney R, Beard-Pegler M, Rose B, Merlino J, Vickery A, Gottlieb T, Bradbury R, Harbour C (2003) Comparative analysis of multidrug-resistant, non-multidrug-resistant and archaic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Central Sydney, Australia. J Clin Microbiol 41:867–872

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wongwanich S, Prapawadee T, Paisomboon S, Ohta T, Hayashi H (2000) Epidemiological analysis of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Thailand. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 31:72–76

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yun HJ, Lee SW, Yoon GM, Kim SY, Choi S, Lee YS, Choi EC, Kim S (2003) Prevalence and mechanisms of low- and high-level mupirocin resistance in staphylococci isolated from a Korean hospital. J Antimicrob Chemother 51:619–621

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. Chua Kek Heng from UMMC and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nordiah Awang Jalil of HUKM for the S. aureus clinical isolates; Pn. Hannan Abdul. Wahab in helping us with the preparation for the biochemical tests carried out in this study. This project was supported by the Intensified Research in Priority Areas (IRPA) Grant from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Antimicrobial Laboratory, Medicinal Plants Programme, Biotechnology Division, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), 52109, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia

    A. J. Saiful, M. Mastura & M. I. Mazurah

  2. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    S. Zarizal & M. Shuhaimi

  3. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    A. M. Ali

Authors
  1. A. J. Saiful
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Mastura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Zarizal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. I. Mazurah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Shuhaimi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. A. M. Ali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. J. Saiful.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saiful, A.J., Mastura, M., Zarizal, S. et al. Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Using mecA/nuc Genes and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Malaysian Clinical Isolates . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 22, 1289–1294 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-006-9174-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-006-9174-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation