Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026

Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 10, 2017
Transferable vancomycin resistance in a community-associated MRSA lineage
Flávia Rossi1, Lorena Diaz, Aye Wollam
1From the Department of Pathology, Division of Microbiology of the Central Laboratory (LIM 03) and Department of Infectious Disease (LIM 54), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo (F.R., T.S.R.D.G., A.D., D.B., I.M.H.); Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota (L.D., D.P., S.R., J.R., L.P.C., C.A.A.), and Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Medicas (CIDEIM), Cali (A.H.-R.) - both in Colombia; Clinica Alemana de Santiago, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile (J.M.M.); the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases (L.D., D.P., T.T.T., J.R., J.M.M., A.H.-R., B.E.M, C.A.A.), and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (B.E.M., C.A.A.), University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and the University of Houston College of Pharmacy (T.T.T.) - both in Houston; the Genome Institute, Washington University at St. Louis, St. Louis (A.W., Y.Z., G.M.W.); and Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History (A.N., P.J.P.), and Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Columbia University (G.X., P.J.P.) - both in New York.
A Brazilian patient
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant pathogen.
- Vancomycin is a critical antibiotic for treating MRSA infections.
- Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) lineages are emerging globally.
Observation:
- A bloodstream infection caused by vancomycin-susceptible MRSA (BR-VSSA) was identified in a Brazilian patient.
- During vancomycin therapy, the MRSA strain acquired the vanA gene cluster, becoming vancomycin-resistant (BR-VRSA).
- Both strains belonged to the ST8 CA-MRSA lineage, related to USA300.
Findings:
- A novel conjugative plasmid, pBRZ01 (55,706 bp), carrying the vanA gene cluster was identified.
- The vanA gene cluster was readily transferable to other staphylococcal strains.
- The pBRZ01 plasmid shares replication genes with Australian CA-MRSA plasmids.
Implications:
- The emergence and spread of vanA-carrying CA-MRSA pose a serious public health threat.
- This highlights the potential for rapid acquisition of vancomycin resistance in MRSA.
- Monitoring and control strategies are crucial to prevent further dissemination.
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