Dissemination of the Samecfr-Carrying Plasmid among Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococcal Isolates in China

Abstract

ABSTRACTSixcfr-harboring methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) isolates, which belonged to the same clone of sequence type 5 (ST5)-staphylococcal cassette chromosomemecelement II (SCCmecII)-spat311, were investigated in this study. Complete sequencing of acfr-carrying plasmid, pLRSA417, revealed an 8,487-bp fragment containing a Tn4001-like transposon,cfr,orf1, and ISEnfa4. This segment, first identified in an animal plasmid, pSS-01, was observed in several plasmids from clinical coagulase-negative staphylococci in China, suggesting that thecfrgene, which might originate from livestock, was located in the same mobile element and disseminated among different clinical staphylococcal species.