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Updated: Aug 19, 2025
Methodology for the Study of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Staphylococcus aureus
Published on: March 10, 2017
An 11-year linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus capitis clone dissemination with a similar cfr-carrying plasmid in
Weiyi Shen1, Jiawei Chen1, Rong Zhang1
1Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
Abstract:
Linezolid resistance has represented a global concern with its wide dissemination among nosocomial pathogens in recent years. One hundred and two linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus capitis (LRSC) were constantly isolated from 2011 to 2021, which demonstrated single clonal dissemination in a Chinese tertiary hospital. A structurally similar cfr-carrying plasmid was identified among 90 isolates. A chromosomal cfr was located beside a Tn4001-like transposon and ISEnfa4 in one strain (LR95). The loss of cfr-carrying plasmid was observed in 11 isolates and the in vitro passage experiments. Conjugation experiments demonstrated the horizontal transferability of the cfr-carrying plasmid into Staphylococcus aureus RN4220. Both cfr-positive LRSC and S. aureus showed no significant differences in growth rates, while only the former displayed competition defect, suggesting this plasmid imposed a certain fitness cost on LRSC. Hence, ongoing measurements are supposed to be adopted to control the spread of these antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
