Mayumi Matsuoka

New erm Gene in Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates

ABSTRACT We have identified erm(Y), a novel gene class that was originally designated ermGM, from a Staphylococcus aureus strain that has a plasmid that also harbors msr(A) and mph(C), genes that encode an efflux mechanism and a putative phosphorylase, respectively. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of erm(Y) were 81 and 76% identical to those of erm(T), respectively.

Localization of a Determinant Mediating Partial Macrolide Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus

Four out of more than 8,200 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated in Japan between 1961 and 1980 were constitutively resistant to a variety of macrolide antibiotics except tylosin and rokitamycin, but susceptible to lincosamide and streptogramin type B antibiotics (PM). The data obtained by agarose gel electrophoresis, CsCl‐ethidium bromide density gradient analysis, diagnosis with ATP‐dependent deoxyribonuclease, and a test transducing into a rec− mutant with phage 80L2 propagated on PM‐resistant S. aureus all suggested that the determinant for the PM‐resistance is located in chromosome.