Prevalence of tetracycline resistance and distribution of resistance genes in members of the Staphylococcus sciuri group

  • Tomasz Hauschild, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
  • Ivana Dakic, Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
  • Srdjan Stepanovic, Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
  • Slobodanka Djukic, Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
  • Petr Jezek, Czech Republic
  • Stefan Schwarz, Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler Institute (FLI), Neustadt-Mariensee, Germany

    • Objectives: Tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics that have been widely used in human and veterinary medicine, but also in agriculture. They represent the second most used group of antimicrobials in the world. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of tetracycline resistance and genes encoding resistance in members of the Staphylococcus sciuri group obtained from different sources.
    Methods: A total of 304 S. sciuri group isolates (284 S. sciuri, 12 S. lentus, and 8 S. vitulinus) from humans (n = 34), animals (n = 133), and environment (n = 137; out- and hospital environment, food) were examined for their susceptibility to tetracycline, oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline by the disk diffusion method. Susceptibility to tetracycline and doxycycline was also tested by agar dilution. Genes tet(K), tet(L), tet(M), and tet(O) were detected by PCR.
    Results: The overall prevalence of resistance to tetracyclines was 10.2%. The resistance was detected in 8.8% of the human isolates, 12.8% of the animal isolates, and in 8.0% of the environmental isolates. The tet(K) gene was detected, either alone or in combination, in 10 (4 S. sciuri and 6 S. lentus), tet(L) in 12 (all S. sciuri), and tet(M) in 13 (all S. sciuri) isolates.
    Conclusions: Prevalence of resistance to tetracyclines in members of the S. sciuri group is low and similar in isolates of different origin, but the prevalence of tet(L) gene is unusually high as compared to other staphylococci.