Antibiotic multiresistance strictly associated with IS256 and ica genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis strains from implant orthopedic infections

✍ Scribed by Lucio Montanaro; Davide Campoccia; Valter Pirini; Stefano Ravaioli; Michael Otto; Carla Renata Arciola

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 169 KB
• Volume: 83A
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1549-3296
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.31399

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

In this study the presence both of the ica genes, encoding for biofilm exopolysaccharide production, and the insertion sequence IS__256__, a mobile element frequently associated to transposons, was investigated in relationship with the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among Staphylococcus epidermidis strains. The investigation was conducted on 70 clinical isolates derived from orthopedic implant infections. Among the clinical isolates investigated a dramatic high level of association was found between the presence of ica genes as well as of IS__256__ and multiple‐resistance to all the antibiotics tested (oxacillin, penicillin, gentamicin, erythromycin, clindamycin, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin). Noteworthy, a striking full association between the presence of IS__256__ and resistance to gentamicin was found, being none of the IS__256__‐negative strain resistant to this antibiotic. This association is probably because of the link of the corresponding aminoglycoside‐resistance genes, and IS__256__, often co‐existing within the same staphylococcal transposon. In conclusion, in orthopedics, the presence of ica genes and that of IS__256__ in S. epidermidis genome should both be considered as informative markers of clinically relevant strains equipped with greatest and broadest resistance potential to survive to medical treatments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2007