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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Genetic basis of rifampicin resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus suggests clonal expansion in hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa
BMC Microbiology, Volume 12, Article 46, Year 2012
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Description
Background: Since 2001, several studies have reported high rifampicin resistance rates (45 - 100%) among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from South Africa. The authors previously characterised 100 MRSA isolates from hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa; forty-five percent of these isolates were rifampicin-resistant. The majority (44/45) corresponded to ST612-MRSA-IV, which is prevalent in South Africa, but has not been reported frequently elsewhere. The remaining rifampicin-resistant isolate corresponded to ST5-MRSA-I. The aim of this study was to investigate further the prevalence and genetic basis of rifampicin-resistance in MRSA isolates from hospitals in Cape Town. Results: Between July 2007 and June 2011, the prevalence of rifampicin-resistant MRSA in hospitals in Cape Town ranged from 39.7% to 46.4%. Based on the results of the aforementioned study, nine ST612-MRSA-IV isolates, the rifampicin-resistant ST5-MRSA-I isolate, and two rifampicin-susceptible MRSA isolates were investigated. Four previously described ST612-MRSA-IV isolates, including two each from South Africa and Australia, were also included. The ST5-MRSA-I isolate carried a single mutational change, H 481Y, commonly associated with high-level rifampicin resistance. All ST612-MRSA-IV isolates carried an uncommon double amino acid substitution in RpoB, H 481N, I 527M, whilst one of the Australian ST612-MRSA-IV isolates carried an additional mutation within rpoB, representing a novel rpoB genotype: H 481N, I 527M, K 579R. All ST612-MRSA-IV isolates also shared a unique silent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within rpoB. Conclusions: That local ST612-MRSA-IV isolates described here share an uncommon rpoB genotype and a unique silent SNP suggests this clone may have undergone clonal expansion in hospitals in Cape Town. Further, the data suggest that these isolates may be related to rifampicin-resistant ST612-MRSA-IV previously described in South Africa and Australia. © 2012 Jansen van Rensburg et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Jansen van Rensburg, M. J.
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
United Kingdom, Oxford
University of Oxford
Whitelaw, Andrew C.
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
South Africa, Observatory
Groote Schuur Hospital
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Elisha, Brenda Gay
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
South Africa, Observatory
Groote Schuur Hospital
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Statistics
Citations: 3
Authors: 3
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1186/1471-2180-12-46
Research Areas
Cancer
Genetics And Genomics
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
South Africa