Ito Teruyo, Okuma Keiko, Ma Xiao Xue, Yuzawa Harumi, Hiramatsu Keiichi
Department of Bacteriology, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan.
Drug Resist Updat. 2003 Feb;6(1):41-52. doi: 10.1016/s1368-7646(03)00003-7.
Staphylococci are ubiquitous colonizers of the skin and mucous membranes and Staphylococcus aureus is the most pathogenic species. The spread of antibiotic resistance among S. aureus strains is a major concern in the treatment of staphylococcal infections. Acquisition of resistance may involve mutation of a bacterial gene on the chromosome or transfer of a resistance gene from other organisms by some form of genetic exchange (conjugation, transduction, or transformation). Completion of whole genome sequences of three methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has provided us a bird's-eye view of the distribution of the mobile genetic elements in the bacterial chromosome that encode antibiotic resistance as well as pathogenicity in S. aureus.
葡萄球菌是皮肤和黏膜中普遍存在的定植菌，而金黄色葡萄球菌是最具致病性的菌种。金黄色葡萄球菌菌株中抗生素耐药性的传播是葡萄球菌感染治疗中的一个主要问题。耐药性的获得可能涉及细菌染色体上基因的突变，或通过某种形式的基因交换（接合、转导或转化）从其他生物体转移耐药基因。三种耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）菌株全基因组序列的完成，让我们得以鸟瞰细菌染色体中可移动遗传元件的分布情况，这些元件编码金黄色葡萄球菌的抗生素耐药性以及致病性。
