Novel β-Lactamase bla ARL in Staphylococcus arlettae

Abstract

Penicillins are an important group of antibiotics used to treat various types of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. So far, the blaZ gene was the only known β-lactamase gene in staphylococci. However, other putative β-lactamases were identified, and one of them was shown to be a novel functional β-lactamase encoded by bla ARL in Staphylococcus arlettae , further limiting treatment options.