Absence of mutation in the region (nt. 710-1010) of pbp4 gene in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus with low-level teicoplanin resistance.

Resistance to teicoplanin in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus has increased in frequency. Detection is difficult due to heterogeneous phenotypes of these strains. Two mutations in pbp4 have recently been identified in glycopeptide resistant laboratory strains. We investigated to determine if these mutations could be used to screen clinical isolates for teicoplanin resistance. Of 41 clinical isolates screened, none contained the mutations in pbp4 indicating these mutations cannot be used as a molecular diagnostic tool for glycopeptide resistance.