Detection of an integrated tetracycline-resistance plasmid in Staphylococcus aureus from a Nigerian hospital.

The genetics of tetracycline-resistance determinants was studied in eight methicillin-resistant and two methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a Nigerian hospital. Curing and transfer experiments demonstrated that one methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolate WBG4762, had a 4.4 kb extrachromosomal plasmid- as well as a chromosomally-mediated tetracycline resistance. All others had chromosomal tetracycline resistance and were resistant to either tetracycline and minocycline or tetracycline only. The two methicillin-susceptible isolates were resistant to both tetracycline and minocycline. Chromosomal DNA from all the resistant isolates hybridized with a digoxigenin-11-dUTP labeled 4.4 kb tetracycline-resistance plasmid probe indicating that they contained tetracycline-resistance plasmids similar to the probe integrated into their chromosomes. The results demonstrated the presence of integrated tetracycline-resistance plasmid in both methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus resistant to tetracycline and minocycline as well as those resistant only to tetracycline. This is the first demonstration of an integrated tetracycline-resistance plasmid in methicillin-sensitive S. aureus and suggests that the integrated tetracycline-resistance plasmid may be widespread in S. aureus.