First Staphylococcal Cassette ChromosomemecContaining amecB-Carrying Gene Complex Independent of Transposon Tn6045in a Macrococcus caseolyticus Isolate from a Canine Infection

Abstract

ABSTRACTA methicillin-resistantmecB-positiveMacrococcus caseolyticus(strain KM45013) was isolated from the nares of a dog with rhinitis. It contained a novel 39-kb transposon-defective completemecB-carrying staphylococcal cassette chromosomemecelement (SCCmecKM45013). SCCmecKM45013contained 49 coding sequences (CDSs), was integrated at the 3′ end of the chromosomalorfXgene, and was delimited at both ends by imperfect direct repeats functioning as integration site sequences (ISSs). SCCmecKM45013presented two discontinuous regions of homology (SCCmeccoverage of 35%) to the chromosomal and transposon Tn6045-associated SCCmec-like element ofM. caseolyticusJCSC7096: (i) themecgene complex (98.8% identity) and (ii) theccr-carrying segment (91.8% identity). Themecgene complex, located at the right junction of the cassette, also carried the β-lactamase geneblaZm(mecRm-mecIm-mecB-blaZm). SCCmecKM45013contained two cassette chromosome recombinase genes,ccrAm2andccrBm2, which shared 94.3% and 96.6% DNA identity with those of the SCCmec-like element of JCSC7096 but shared less than 52% DNA identity with the staphylococcalccrABandccrCgenes. Three distinct extrachromosomal circularized elements (the entire SCCmecKM45013, ΨSCCmecKM45013lacking theccrgenes, and SCCKM45013lackingmecB) flanked by one ISS copy, as well as the chromosomal regions remaining after excision, were detected. An unconventional circularized structure carrying themecBgene complex was associated with two extensive direct repeat regions, which enclosed two open reading frames (ORFs) (ORF46 and ORF51) flanking the chromosomalmecB-carrying gene complex. This study revealedM. caseolyticusas a potential disease-associated bacterium in dogs and also unveiled an SCCmecelement carryingmecBnot associated with Tn6045in the genusMacrococcus.