Distribution of genes encoding tetracycline resistance and aminoglycoside modifying enzymes in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from a burn center.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most common organisms associated with infections among burn patients and has shown a frequent and rapid development of antibiotic resistance. The presence of genes encoding aminoglycoside modifying enzymes (AME) and tetracycline resistance were detected by PCR and multiplex-PCR. Among the 151 S. aureus isolates recovered from the burn patients, 96 (63.6%) were detected to have mecA gene. The rate of tetracycline resistance genes associated with mecA was 61% (92/151). Forty nine isolates (32.4%) contained tetM, 26 (17.2%) possessed only tetK and 21 (13.9%) contained both tetM and tetK. The presence of the aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'')-I gene was determined in 18 isolates, aph(3')-IIIa in 8 isolates, both the aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'')-I, aph(3')-IIIa and the ant(4')-Ia genes in 69 isolates, both aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'')-I and ant(4')-Ia in 6 isolates, and both the aph(3')-IIIa and the ant(4')-Ia genes in 8 isolates. Most of the strains which harboured the mecA gene also contained the tet and AME genes.