Novel Type XII Staphylococcal Cassette ChromosomemecHarboring a New Cassette Chromosome Recombinase, CcrC2

Abstract

ABSTRACTExcision and integration of staphylococcal cassette chromosomemec(SCCmec) are mediated by cassette chromosome recombinases (Ccr), which play a crucial role in the worldwide spread of methicillin resistance in staphylococci. We report a novelccrgene,ccrC2, in the SCCmecof aStaphylococcus aureusisolate, BA01611, which showed 62.6% to 69.4% sequence identities to all publishedccrC1sequences. A further survey found that theccrC2gene was mainly located among coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and could be found in staphylococcal isolates from China, the United States, France, and Germany. Theccrgene complex harboring theccrC2gene was designated a type 9 complex, and the SCCmecof BA01611 was considered a novel type and was designated type XII (9C2). This novel SCCmecelement in BA01611 was flanked by a pseudo-SCC element (ΨSCCBA01611) carrying a truncatedccrA1gene. Both individual SCC elements and a composite SCC were excised from the chromosome based on detection of extrachromosomal circular intermediates. We advocate inclusion of the ccrC2gene and type 9ccrgene complex during revision of the SCCmectyping method.