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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2002, p. 178-183, Vol. 46, No. 1
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.1.178-183.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Differential Expression of Methicillin Resistance by Different Biofilm-Negative Staphylococcus epidermidis Transposon Mutant Classes

Dietrich Mack,* Axel Sabottke, Sabine Dobinsky, Holger Rohde, Matthias A. Horstkotte, and Johannes K.-M. Knobloch

Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany

Received 23 May 2001/ Returned for modification 1 August 2001/ Accepted 10 October 2001

Biofilm formation mediated by polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) is the major virulence factor of Staphylococcus epidermidis and is often associated with methicillin resistance. Transposon Tn917 insertions leading to a biofilm-negative phenotype in the biofilm-producing S. epidermidis strain 1457 (mecA-negative) were transferred into the methicillin-resistant, biofilm-producing S. epidermidis 1057 (mecA-positive) by transduction. According to their phenotypes and genotypes, the mutants could be separated into genetic classes I to IV (D. Mack, H. Rohde, S. Dobinsky, J. Riedewald, M. Nedelmann, J. K. M. Knobloch, H.-A. Elsner, and H. H. Feucht, Infect. Immun. 68:3799–3807, 2000). All transductants of S. epidermidis 1057 had phenotypes for biofilm formation similar to those of the corresponding mutants of S. epidermidis 1457. With a mecA-specific probe, identical hybridization patterns were observed for wild-type S. epidermidis 1057 and all the transductants. There were minor changes in oxacillin MICs for Class II and III transductants compared to those for wild-type S. epidermidis 1057. On population analysis, S. epidermidis 1057 displayed a heterogeneous expression type of resistance with an oxacillin MIC of >=6 µg/ml for more than 90% of the cells. An almost identical profile was observed with biofilm-negative class I mutants, where the transposon insertions inactivate the icaADBC gene locus essential for PIA synthesis. In contrast, class III mutants were more sensitive to oxacillin with a MIC of <=1 µg/ml for more than 90% of the cells. The class IV mutant displayed homogenous resistance with a MIC of >=50 µg/ml for more than 90% of the cells. On oxacillin gradient plates, the class II mutant displayed decreased resistance. Apparently, different independent mutations leading to a biofilm-negative phenotype of S. epidermidis by influencing expression of icaADBC on the level of transcription significantly influence the expression of methicillin resistance. However, transcription of mecA was not significantly altered in the different transductants compared to the wild type, independent of mecA induction with oxacillin, indicating that other mechanisms influencing phenotypic expression of methicillin resistance are involved.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany. Phone: 49 40 42803 2143. Fax: 49 40 42803 4881. E-mail: dmack{at}uke.uni-hamburg.de.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2002, p. 178-183, Vol. 46, No. 1
0066-4804/01/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AAC.46.1.178-183.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Jager, S., Mack, D., Rohde, H., Horstkotte, M. A., Knobloch, J. K.-M. (2005). Disintegration of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms under Glucose-Limiting Conditions Depends on the Activity of the Alternative Sigma Factor {sigma}B. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 5577-5581 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Knobloch, J. K.-M., Jager, S., Huck, J., Horstkotte, M. A., Mack, D. (2005). mecA Is Not Involved in the {sigma}B-Dependent Switch of the Expression Phenotype of Methicillin Resistance in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 1216-1219 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rohde, H., Kalitzky, M., Kroger, N., Scherpe, S., Horstkotte, M. A., Knobloch, J. K.-M., Zander, A. R., Mack, D. (2004). Detection of Virulence-Associated Genes Not Useful for Discriminating between Invasive and Commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis Strains from a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 5614-5619 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
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  • Dobinsky, S., Kiel, K., Rohde, H., Bartscht, K., Knobloch, J. K.-M., Horstkotte, M. A., Mack, D. (2003). Glucose-Related Dissociation between icaADBC Transcription and Biofilm Expression by Staphylococcus epidermidis: Evidence for an Additional Factor Required for Polysaccharide Intercellular Adhesin Synthesis. J. Bacteriol. 185: 2879-2886 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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