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Published on: September 5, 2013
Typing of macrolide resistant group A streptococci by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis
I Gajic1, V Mijac, M Stanojevic
1Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. ina.gajic@med.bg.ac.rs.
Objective:
Several studies of group A streptococci (GAS) have revealed that a small number of dominant resistant clones might be responsible for the spread of Streptococcus (S.) pyogenes resistance to macrolides. We aimed to determine the genetic diversity of macrolide resistant group A streptococci (MRGAS), isolated from patients with pharyngitis in Serbia.
Materials And Methods:
The clonal relationships among 76 MRGAS isolates collected during 2008 were studied using two molecular typing methods: emm typing and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Isolates that share the same emm type and RAPD pattern were considered to belong to the same clone.
Results:
Out of 7 distinct emm types identified, the 3 most frequently occurring overall were emm12, emm75 and emm77 (> 90% of isolates). Although as many as 26 different RAPD patterns were found among the isolates studied, two clones with emm12 and emm77 accounted 32 out of 76 (42%) isolates.
Conclusions:
The results indicate a polyclonal spread of erythromycin-resistant Streptococcus pyogenes in our country. Furthermore, predominance of two clones, particularly among emm12 and emm77 strains indicates that erythromycin-resistant GAS of the same clonal origin are widely distributed in Serbia.
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