Production of bacteriocins by coagulase-negative staphylococci involved in bovine mastitis

In the present study, 188 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) strains were isolated from bovine mastitis cases from 56 different Brazilian dairy herds, located in the Southeast region of the country, and were tested for antimicrobial substance production. Twelve CNS strains (6.4%) exhibited antagonistic activity against a Corynebacterium fimi indicator strain. Most antimicrobial substances were sensitive to proteolytic enzymes suggesting that they might be bacteriocins (Bac). Amongst the CNS producers, six were identified as S. epidermidis, two as S. simulans, two as S. saprophyticus, one as S. hominis and one as S. arlettae. Plasmid profile analysis of these strains revealed the presence of at least one plasmid. The Bac(+) strains presented either no or few antibiotic resistance phenotypes. Three strains were shown to produce a bacteriocin either identical or similar to aureocin A70, a bacteriocin previously isolated from an S. aureus strain isolated from food. The remaining Bac(+) strains produce antimicrobial peptides that seem to be distinct from the best characterised staphylococcal bacteriocins described so far. Some of them were able to inhibit Listeria monocytogenes, an important food-borne pathogen, and several strains of Streptococcus agalactiae associated with bovine mastitis, suggesting a potential use of these bacteriocins either in the prevention or in the treatment of streptococcal mastitis.     

Phenotypic and genotypic properties of Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius isolated from lymph node abscesses of goats

In the present study 20 staphylococci isolated from lymph node abscesses of 19 goats of two herds in Western Poland could be identified as Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius. All 20 strains grew under microaerobic conditions, were negative in the catalase test, showed the typical phenotypic properties of 5. aureus and could genotypically be identified by a positive sa442, 235 rDNA, nuc, coa and spa PCR reaction. The variable regions of the coa and spa gene of the 20 strains appeared with uniform amplicon sizes, respectively. All 20 strains were negative for 12 additionally investigated enterotoxin encoding genes, tst and ssl7 and positive for the gene cap8. Identical properties could be observed for S. aureus subsp. anaerobius DSM 20714. Amplification and sequencing of kat gene of a single Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius strain of the present study and S. aureus subsp. anaerobius DSM 20714 revealed a complete identity of the kat sequences of both strains and a katB sequence obtained from GenBank (AJ000471). The bacteria were additionally investigated for relatedness by macrorestriction analysis of chromosomal DNA with subsequent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), yielding, corresponding to the above mentioned PCR results, identical PFGE patterns for all 20 Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius strains isolated in Western Poland and the S. aureus subsp. anaerobius reference strain DSM 20714.This indicates the clonal identity of the strains isolated in Western Poland and the S. aureus subsp. anaerobius reference strain. The route of infection of the two herds in Western Poland with a bacterial clone originally isolated in Spain remains unclear.     

Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius isolates from different countries are clonal in nature

Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius, a microaerophilic, catalase-negative bacteria, is the etiological agent of abscess disease, a specific chronic condition of sheep and goats, characterized by the formation of necrotic lesions that are typically located in superficial lymph nodes. In this study, molecular analysis including pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and accessory gene regulator (agr) typing was carried out on 94 S. aureus subsp. anaerobius strains isolated in different countries (79 were isolated from 35 outbreaks of the disease in Spain from 1981 to 2009, 9 were isolated in Italy, 3 in Denmark and 3 in Sudan). All of the 94 S. aureus subsp. anaerobius isolates examined belonged to one PFGE type, within which four minority subtypes were identified. Representative isolates of all PFGE subtypes as well of all countries belonged to the same sequence type (ST), ST1464, which was a singleton, and to the agr type II. Our results support the view that abscess disease is caused by a single bacterial clone worldwide. This bacterium has existed for at least a century and, thus, has undergone long-term small ruminant host restriction.     

Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from pet animals and veterinary staff in China

The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from pet animals and veterinary staff and the characteristics of these isolates. A total of 22 MRSA isolates were isolated from nasal swabs from dogs, cats and veterinary staff in six pet hospitals in six cities, and examined for antimicrobial susceptibility, the presence of resistance genes, Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene lukF-lukS, staphylococcal chromosomal cassette (SCC) mec typing, spa tying, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing. Of 22 MRSA isolates, 21 were recovered from pet animals, and one was isolated from a member of sstaff. All 22 MRSA strains were resistant to penicillin, oxacillin, azithromycin, clindamycin and ceftriaxone, and harboured mecA, ermB and linA genes. The lukF-lukS gene was not detected in any of the MRSA isolates. Eighteen MRSA strains from Qingdao belonged to ST59-MRSA-IV-spa t437. Of four MRSA isolates from Beijing, one belonged to ST398-MRSA-V-spa t034, and three belonged to ST239-MRSA-III-spa t030 profiles. Two PFGE types (A and B) were identified. Two isolates originating from dogs and one isolate originating from a staff member in Beijing shared similar PFGE patterns. Our cumulative data suggested that cross-transmission of MRSA may have occurred between pet animals and veterinary staff.     

健康奶牛生殖道乳酸菌的分离鉴定及其抑菌活性研究

【目的】从健康奶牛生殖道分离筛选益生乳酸菌,为未来防治奶牛子宫内膜炎提供益生菌菌株并为开发防治此病的微生态制剂奠定基础。【方法】采集10份健康奶牛的生殖道分泌物样品,用MRS培养基进行分离培养,通过形态学观察和16S rDNA序列对分离出的菌株进行鉴定,将所得序列结果与NCBI核酸数据库参考菌株进行相似性比对,确定各分离菌株的种属。利用牛津杯法分离筛选出具有较好抑菌活性的菌株,研究这些筛选出的菌株的生长曲线、产酸能力及抗菌药敏感性,并对其主要抗菌物质进行检测。【结果】从10个样品中共分离出13株乳酸菌,经染色镜检和16S rDNA测序分析鉴定出13株乳酸菌,分别为植物乳杆菌11株、殊异肠球菌和鼠肠球菌各1株。单株抑菌试验得到5株对大肠杆菌抑菌能力较好的乳酸菌,5株乳酸菌生长特性及产酸能力均良好,对氨苄西林、四环素、红霉素、利福平、甲氧苄啶、氯霉素和青霉素7种抗菌药物敏感性较强。其中21和35号菌株的抗菌物质为过氧化氢和细菌素,而25、33和34号菌株的抗菌物质除过氧化氢和细菌素外还包括有机酸。【结论】从奶牛生殖道中分离得到的3株乳酸菌有望作为微生态制剂用于奶牛子宫内膜炎的临床防治,其具...     

Methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolated from animals

Staphylococci isolated from animals (n=311) were screened for methicillin resistance by oxacillin agar screening. Oxacillin-resistant strains were tested for the presence of the mecA gene by PCR. Isolates were identified by standard techniques and 16S rDNA analysis, and their antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested using an agar diffusion method. MecA-positive strains were further analyzed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). From 11 multidrug-resistant staphylococci, 6 were mecA-positive: 2 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 4 Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Screening of 300 staphylococci (100 S. aureus, 100 S. intermedius and 100 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS)) randomly chosen from the strain collection of the Veterinary Microbiological Diagnostic Center yielded five oxacillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci, four of which were mecA-positive. PFGE showed that all mecA-positive staphylococci isolated from animals had distinct patterns. However, one MRSA isolated from a flank fistula of a dog showed homology to a human epidemic MRSA cluster, suggesting that transfer of MRSA between humans and dogs might occur.     

High occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in equine nasal samples

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections do occur in equine patients. Little is known, however, about their origin and the general equine MRSA colonization status. In West European horses in particular, neither the colonization rate nor the present strains or their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are known. In the present study, a sample of 110 (Belgian, French, Dutch and Luxemburg) horses presented at a Belgian equine clinic was screened for nasal MRSA carriage. An indirect culturing protocol using a 0.001% colistin and nalidixic acid containing broth was compared to a direct agar method. Phenotypic identification following growth on a chromogenic MRSA screening agar (ChromID MRSA) was combined with genotypic analysis (PCR, PFGE, SCCmec, spa, and MLST typing). Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested through disk diffusion. Twelve (10.9%) horses carried MRSA, with the enrichment protocol resulting in a significantly higher isolation rate. None of the isolated strains were typeable through SmaI PFGE. They all harboured SCCmec type IVa or V and belonged to spa type t011 or t1451 of the ST398 lineage. All isolates were tetracycline resistant and sulfonamide and enrofloxacin susceptible. Macrolide, lincosamide, trimethoprim and aminoglycoside susceptibility varied and in total five different antimicrobial resistance patterns were distinguished. These results show that ST398 is certainly present in West European horses. Due to its known interspecies transmission and the structure of the equine industry, the presence of this clone in horses poses a substantial health hazard for both animals and humans.     

Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various sites on farms with dairy sheep using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

We investigated the genetic diversity of 179 Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from various sites in 10 farms producing cheeses manufactured with raw ewe's milk. Isolates were collected from handcrafted cheeses, bulk tank milk, milk from half-udders, skin abscesses on the udder if present, hands and anterior nares of farmers, and air of the milking area. The isolates were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of DNA SmaI digests and compared to other isolates of S. aureus isolated in different hosts or in different locations. The results showed that nine farms were contaminated by S. aureus isolates with identical banding patterns (named OV) or by genetically related isolates (named OV'). These dominant banding patterns were found in a variable proportion of the samples from each farm (range: 11-100%). Most of the strains isolated from nasal carriage or strains isolated from other regions or from other animal species had different PFGE patterns to OV or OV', except for three strains. These results show that a single clone of S. aureus is widely distributed both in infected mammary glands and in cheese produced from raw milk. This study confirms that infected mammary glands are the main source of the contamination of dairy products in sheep.     

Utilization of both phenotypic and molecular analyses to investigate an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella anatum in horses.

Phenotypic and molecular techniques, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing, plasmid analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were used to characterize 15 isolates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella anatum cultured during a 16 mo period from horses and a veterinary clinic environment. The isolates were resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents and could be placed into 4 groups based on their antimicrobial resistance patterns. The isolates contained multiple plasmids ranging in size from 2 to > 100 kb that could be grouped into 3 different plasmid profile patterns; these patterns did not correlate with the antimicrobial resistance groupings. Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance was conjugatively transferable. Digestion of genomic DNA from the 15 isolates with 3 different restriction endonucleases, SfiI, SpeI, and XbaI followed by PFGE revealed a highly conserved restriction endonuclease digestion pattern. In contrast, diverse banding patterns were observed with S. anatum obtained from other sources. These observations suggest that the MDR S. anatum isolates represent a common outbreak strain even though they possess different, albeit similar, antibiograms and plasmid profiles. The study showed that PFGE is a useful epidemiological tool for discriminating between unrelated and outbreak-related strains of S. anatum. In conclusion, epidemiological studies of outbreaks caused by MDR isolates of S. anatum should consist of both genotypic and phenotypic methods of analysis.     

The effect of culture media on bacteriocin production in various strains of bacteria]

Some staphylococcus and enterococcus strains were used to investigate the effect of culture medium on bacteriocin production. Staphylococcus cohnii SC7, Staphylococcus sp. ZTJ 151, S. saprophyticus SS 877, Enterococcus faecium EF1 and E. faecalis EFG2 were isolated from the rumen wall and contents of lambs, calves and fallow deer, Enterococcus gallinarum EG10 and E. avium EA12 were isolated from the caecum of Japanese quail. The tested bacteria belong to producers with a wide antimicrobial effectiveness spectrum, they have low to medium adherence and urease activity (Tab. III). These culture media were used to test the effect of culture medium on bacteriocin production: nutrient agar no. 2 and VL agar enriched with 2% of glucose and lactose (ZAG, ZAL, VLG, VLL), agar for isolation of faecal streptococci (SA) and the base for blood agar no. 4 and no. 2 (KA4, KA2). The strains Streptococcus bovis AO 24/85 and Staphylococcus aureus Oxford 209 P were used as indicator bacteria. Tables I and II show the results of these tests. The tested strains produced the widest inhibition zones (6 mm) with both indicators on SA medium, and this indicates massive bacteriocin production. On ZAG medium, the zones of enterococci with the AO 24/85 strain were larger size than those of staphylococci, but the zones were dim. All strains with the 209P indicator produced dim zones of the 2mm size. The larger inhibition zones (2-5mm) in comparison with staphylococci were observed in enterococci on the ZAL medium with the AO24/85 strain. The production of tested strains was balanced on VLG agar with respect to the use of both indicators.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

食品动物源沙门氏菌质粒介导喹诺酮类耐药基因的检测与分析

为了解食品动物源沙门氏菌质粒介导喹诺酮类耐药性(Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance,PMQR),采用微量肉汤稀释法和PCR方法,检测了316株食品动物源沙门氏菌对20种抗菌药物的敏感性,以及菌株中PMQR基因的携带率.结果显示:316株沙门氏菌对20种抗菌药物呈不同程度的耐药性,95.57％菌株为多重耐药菌;316株菌中未检出qnrA、qnrC、qnrD、qnrS和qepA基因,7.91％菌株检出qnrB基因,15.19％菌株检出aac(6 ′ )-Ib-cr基因,7.91％菌株检出oqxA基因,8.86％菌株检出oqxB基因,这是首次在沙门氏菌中发现oqxAB基因;98.11％PMQR阳性菌同时携带2种及以上的耐药基因,呈8～17耐的多重耐药性,其中以qnrB和aac(6′)-Ibcr基因型为主;53株PMQR阳性菌分属于5种不同的基因型,耐药表型或耐药基因型不同的菌株却有相同的PFGE谱型.本次检测的316株食品动物源沙门氏菌耐药较为严重;菌株主要携带qnrB、aac(6 ′ )-Ib-cr及oqxAB基因;不同来源菌株存在同一耐药克隆株的流行.     

Molecular epidemiology of Salmonella Heidelberg in an equine hospital

From 1992 to 1997, multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Heidelberg isolates were cultured from a number of horses hospitalised in a veterinary hospital in Victoria, Australia. To examine the relationships between the cases, 28 isolates from the hospital were compared by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), IS200 element profiles, antimicrobial resistance patterns, plasmid profiles and phage typing. The PFGE patterns following digestion with XbaI and BlnI restriction endonucleases showed that the isolates from the veterinary hospital originated from a common source. These isolates also had indistinguishable IS200 profiles. However, PFGE was more discriminatory than IS200 profiles. All the veterinary hospital isolates and one independent isolate had the same antimicrobial resistance pattern and had at least one plasmid in common. Localisation of antimicrobial resistance genes indicated that the veterinary hospital isolates had more than one plasmid carrying resistance genes and that the genes encoding sulphathiazole and trimethoprim resistance were not on these plasmids. Phage typing was ineffective as 22 of the 28 isolates were untypeable. In conclusion, the combination of different methods used for epidemiological studies suggested that a single strain of MDR S. Heidelberg was isolated from horses admitted to the hospital for 6 years and caused salmonellosis in susceptible horses within that period with no apparent correlation between the antimicrobials used and retention of its MDR phenotype.     

禽腺病毒血清4型贵州株全基因序列分析

为了解禽腺病毒血清4型(FAdV-4)地方流行毒株的分子进化情况,基于实验室分离的2株FAdV-4贵州株GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株,分别对2株FAdV-4毒株进行PCR分段扩增,扩增产物克隆至载体,提取质粒进行PCR和双酶切鉴定后筛选出重组质粒进行测序,将测序结果依次拼接得到病毒的全基因组,获得FAdV-4贵州株的全基因序列,并对其进行序列和遗传进化分析。结果显示,通过PCR分段扩增成功获得了2株FAdV-4贵州株(GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株)的全基因序列,长度分别为43352、43723 bp,FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株全基因序列长度比FAdV-4 GZ-QL株短371 bp,少6个ORF(22K、putative 9.1 ku、u-exon、ORF17、ORF28、ORF42),二者的氨基酸同源性为57.1%。2株FAdV-4贵州株同国内外不同地区FAdV-4毒株核苷酸同源性在88.7%~100%,与FAdV-4经典毒株ON1比对,2株FAdV-4贵州株和国内FAdV-4分离株均缺失ORF19、ORF27、ORF30。系统进化树分析显示,2株FAdV-4贵州株GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株仍属于Ⅰ群C种FAdV。研究结果表明,2株贵州株FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株和FAdV-4 GZ-QL株较国内外FAdV-4毒株均存在进化与突变,且FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株变化较大,但尚未改变其血清型,这为探索FAdV-4致病机理的分子机制研究提供依据。     

禽腺病毒血清4型贵州株全基因序列分析

为了解禽腺病毒血清4型（FAdV-4）地方流行毒株的分子进化情况,基于实验室分离的2株FAdV-4贵州株GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株,分别对2株FAdV-4毒株进行PCR分段扩增,扩增产物克隆至载体,提取质粒进行PCR和双酶切鉴定后筛选出重组质粒进行测序,将测序结果依次拼接得到病毒的全基因组,获得FAdV-4贵州株的全基因序列,并对其进行序列和遗传进化分析。结果显示,通过PCR分段扩增成功获得了2株FAdV-4贵州株（GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株）的全基因序列,长度分别为43 352、43 723 bp,FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株全基因序列长度比FAdV-4 GZ-QL株短371 bp,少6个ORF（22K、putative 9.1 ku、u-exon、ORF17、ORF28、ORF42）,二者的氨基酸同源性为57.1%。2株FAdV-4贵州株同国内外不同地区FAdV-4毒株核苷酸同源性在88.7%~100%,与FAdV-4经典毒株ON1比对,2株FAdV-4贵州株和国内FAdV-4分离株均缺失ORF19、ORF27、ORF30。系统进化树分析显示,2株FAdV-4贵州株GZ-BJ株和GZ-QL株仍属于Ⅰ群C种FAdV。研究结果表明,2株贵州株FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株和FAdV-4 GZ-QL株较国内外FAdV-4毒株均存在进化与突变,且FAdV-4 GZ-BJ株变化较大,但尚未改变其血清型,这为探索FAdV-4致病机理的分子机制研究提供依据。     

大雁、斑头雁和天鹅源沙门氏菌血清及脉冲场凝胶电泳分型研究

为了解大雁、斑头雁及天鹅源沙门氏菌流行特征和脉冲场凝胶电泳（PFGE）分型,本研究对33株沙门氏菌进行血清型鉴定,采用PFGE对其进行基因分型,并用BioNumerics 6.6软件进行聚类分析。鉴定出丙型副伤寒沙门氏菌6株、汤卜逊沙门氏菌19株、乙型副伤寒沙门氏菌1株、伊鲁木沙门氏菌1株、奥斯陆沙门氏菌1株、5株未定型。PFGE聚类分型共分为16个型别,其相似度为53.7%~100.0%,且大多数菌株与人源菌株相似度超过80%。结果表明,大雁、斑头雁及天鹅源沙门氏菌相同血清型PFGE带型高度相似,可能来自同一克隆株,不同血清型PFGE带型差别较大。     

PFGE Genotyping and Serotype Analysis of Salmonella Isolated from Goose,Anserindicus and Cygnus

To understand the Salmonella epidemic characteristics and pulsed field gel electrophoresis（PFGE）genotyping of goose,Anserindicus and Cygnus,33 strains of Salmonella were serotype typed by PFGE and genotyped with BioNumerics 6.6 cluster analysis software.The results showed that there were 16 PFGE patterns,which displayed 6 strains Salmonella paratyphi C,19 strains Salmonella thompson,1 strains Salmonella paratyphi B,1 strain Salmonella irumu,1 strain Salmonella oslo,5 undifferentiated.PFGE similarity is about 53.7% to 100.0%,and most of the strains and anthropogenic strains similarity was more than 80%.The results showed that goose,Anserindicus and Cygnus Salmonella serotypes same PFGE type with a high degree of similarity,and possibly from the same clone,quite different serotypes PFGE band pattern difference.     

上海市禽源阿贡纳沙门氏菌耐药性及脉冲场凝胶电泳分型研究

To investigate the antimicrobial resistance and molecular types of S.agona strains isolated from poultry in Shanghai from 2010 to 2011，K-B method recommended by WHO was used to detect 14 strains of S.agona from poultry.Results were analyzed according to the breakpoints of CLSI，PFGE was used for molecular typing.14 strains were sensitive to 5 kinds of antibiotics.High resistant to sulfisoxazole and high moderate sensitivity to streptomycin.14 strains of S.agona were classified to 6 PFGE patterns.Some S.agona strains isolated from 2010 to 2011 were showed highly homology.Meanwhile，the relativity between antimicrobial susceptibility and PFGE patterns was remarkable.     

Cloning,Prokaryotic Expression and Bioinformatics Analysis of BPSS0180 Gene of Burkholderia pseudomallei

This study was aimed to clone and express the BPSS0180 gene of Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. pseudomallea), and perform bioinformatics analysis of its protein. A pair of primers was designed according to the BPSS0180 gene sequence information of B. pseudomallea K96243 strain in GenBank. BPSS0180 gene fragment was obtained by PCR amplification of B. pseudomallea hn-1 strain. The BPSS0180 gene fragment was ligated into the pET-28a(+) vector to construct the pET-28a(+)-BPSS0180 recombinant plasmid. The recombinant plasmid pET-28a(+)-BPSS0180 was transformed into E.coli DH5α competent cells, and the plasmids were identified by restriction enzyme digestion. Then, the recombinant plasmid pET-28a(+)-BPSS0180 was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3) competent cells. The expression was induced by IPTG. The expressed product was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Bioinformatics analysis of BPSS0180 gene sequence was carried out using DNAMAN, ProtParam, SOPMA and Protscale. The results showed that the length of BPSS0180 gene was 1 146 bp; The expressed His-BPSS0180 fusion protein was about 45 ku, and was predominantly in the form of inclusion bodies; The molecular weight of the BPSS0180 protein was 40.6 ku (C₁₇₇₉H₂₈₀₉N₅₄₅O₅₃₆S₇); The extinction coefficient was 40 575; The hydrophobic index was 85.43; The instability coefficient was 46.52,which belonged to unstable protein;The theoretical isoelectric point (pI) was 5.54 and was acidic protein; The total average hydrophobicity (GRAVY) was -0.261,as hydrophilic protein; The secondary structure of the protein were mainly α-helix (58.79%) and random curl (32.02%), and its half-life of reticulocytes in mammals was predicted to be 30 h. This study provided a theoretical basis for further exploring the fuction of BPSS0180 gene of B. pseudomallei.     

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from small and exotic animals at a university hospital during routine microbiological examinations

Clinical specimens of small animals (n=869) were screened for the occurrence of methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA; MRSA) during routine microbiological examinations, and results were confirmed by a multiplex PCR strategy. The genetic relatedness of all mecA-positive S. aureus isolates was further investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), PCR for Panton-Valentine leukocidine genes (PVL) and staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec-typing (SCCmec). A total of 61 S. aureus isolates were found during a 20-month period of investigation, 27 (44.3%) of them harbouring the mecA gene for methicillin-resistance. The majority of MRSA were isolated in specimens from dogs (n=18) and cats (n=4). One guinea pig and one rabbit were found to be positive for an MRSA infected site. Similarly, three exotic animals, a turtle, a bat and a parrot, were found to be infected with MRSA. PFGE and MLST analysis revealed a certain genotype ("A" and "A-1") dominating the isolate collection (23 of 27). Furthermore, one isolate showed homologous PFGE pattern to the German epidemic strain Barnim ("BE") and another one ("BE-1") was considered to be closely related. A third genotype ("B") was detected in two cases. Two different sequence types (ST) were identified among the 27 MRSA isolates. PFGE type "A" and both strains related to the Barnim epidemic strain were assigned to ST22, whereas ST239 was associated to PFGE profile "B". The present data show that certain MRSA genotypes are capable of infecting a wide spectrum of small and exotic animals, especially in clinical facilities.     

类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌BPSS0180基因的克隆、原核表达及生物信息学分析

试验旨在对类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌（Burkholderia pseudomallei,B.pseudomallea）的BPSS0180基因进行克隆和原核表达,并对其表达蛋白进行生物信息学分析。参照GenBank中类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌K96243标准株BPSS0180基因序列设计1对引物,对类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌hn-1株进行PCR扩增获得BPSS0180基因片段。将得到的BPSS0180基因连接到pET-28a （+）载体,构建pET-28a （+）-BPSS0180重组质粒,转化至大肠杆菌DH5α感受态细胞中,提取质粒进行酶切鉴定。鉴定正确后,将构建成功的pET-28a （+）-BPSS0180重组质粒转化到大肠杆菌BL21（DE3）感受态细胞中,经IPTG诱导表达,表达产物用SDS-PAGE和Western blotting进行分析。应用DNAMAN、ProtParam、SOPMA和Protscale对BPSS0180基因序列进行生物信息学分析。结果显示,本试验成功克隆了1 146 bp的BPSS0180基因,诱导表达得到的His-BPSS0180融合蛋白大小约为45 ku,且主要以包涵体形式存在。BPSS0180蛋白的分子式为C₁₇₇₉H₂₈₀₉N₅₄₅O₅₃₆S₇,分子质量为40.6 ku,消光系数为40 575,疏水指数为85.43。其不稳定系数为46.52,属于不稳定蛋白;理论等电点（pI）为5.54,为酸性蛋白;总平均疏水性（GRAVY）是-0.261,为亲水性蛋白。该蛋白的二级结构以α-螺旋（58.79%）和无规卷曲（32.02%）为主,预测其在哺乳动物网织红细胞的半衰期为30 h。本试验结果为进一步探究类鼻疽伯克霍尔德菌的BPSS0180基因提供了一定的理论依据。