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Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2007, p. 3983-3987, Vol. 51, No. 11
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00790-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Composite Structure of Streptococcus pneumoniae Containing the Erythromycin Efflux Resistance Gene mef(I) and the Chloramphenicol Resistance Gene catQ{triangledown}

Marina Mingoia,1 Manuela Vecchi,1 Ileana Cochetti,1 Emily Tili,1 Luca A. Vitali,2 Aldo Manzin,3 Pietro E. Varaldo,1 and Maria Pia Montanari1*

Institute of Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche Medical School, 60020 Ancona,1 Department of Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biology, Chair of Microbiology, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino,2 Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, Section of Medical Microbiology, University of Cagliari, 09100 Cagliari, Italy3

Received 19 June 2007/ Returned for modification 29 July 2007/ Accepted 12 August 2007

In recent years mef genes, encoding efflux pumps responsible for M-type macrolide resistance, have been investigated extensively for streptococci. mef(I) is a recently described mef variant detected in particular isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae instead of the more common mef(E) and mef(A). This study shows that mef(I) is located in a new composite genetic element, whose sequence was completely analyzed and the left and right junctions determined, demonstrating a unique genetic organization. The new composite structure (30,505 bp), designated the 5216IQ complex, consists of two halves: a left one (15,316 bp) formed by parts of the known transposons Tn5252 and Tn916, and a right one (15,115 bp) formed by a new fragment, designated the IQ element. While the defective Tn916 contained a silent tet(M) gene, the IQ element, ending with identical transposase genes on both sides and containing the mef(I) gene with an adjacent new msr(D) gene variant and a catQ chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, was completely different from the genetic elements carrying other mef genes in pneumococci. This is the first report demonstrating catQ in S. pneumoniae and showing its linkage with a mef gene. Analysis of the chromosomal region beyond the left junction revealed an organization more similar to that of S. pneumoniae strain TIGR4 than to that of strain R6. The 5216IQ complex was apparently nonmobile, with no detectable transfer of erythromycin resistance being obtained in repeated transformation and conjugation assays.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of Microbiology and Biomedical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche Medical School, Via Tronto 10/A, 60020 Ancona, Italy. Phone: 39 071 2206295. Fax: 39 071 2206293. E-mail: mp.montanari{at}univpm.it

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 20 August 2007.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, November 2007, p. 3983-3987, Vol. 51, No. 11
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.00790-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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