[Method of DNA extraction and mecA, femA and PBP2' in multi-drug resistant bacterial strains]

Recently, it has become more important to establish rapid and reliable methods for identifying bacterial species and their drug resistances because of the high incidence of nosocomial infection caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. At first, several enzymes were tested to evaluate the efficacy of DNA extraction. N-acetylmuramidase, lysozyme and achromopeptidase were most effective to extract DNA from E. faecalis, E. faecium and S. aureus, respectively. After achromopeptidase extraction, the mecA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in clinically isolated MRSA (95 strains), MSSA (66), MRSE (methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis, 37), MSSE (methicillin-sensitive S. epidermidis, 1), S haemolyticus(5), S.hominis(1) and others (Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, and Streptococcus, total 45). PCR products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The positive rates were 95% (MRSA), 1.5% (MSSA), and 97% (MRSE). The mecA gene was also positive in 2/2 of methicillin-resistant S.haemolyticus and 2/3 of methicillin-sensitive S.haemolyticus and 1/1 of methicillin-resistant S.hominis. The mecA gene was not detected in 45 non-Staphylococcal strains. MecA and femA gene by PCR and PBP 2' by IRMA were further detected in newly isolated MRSA (20 strains), MSSA(20), MRSE(14), MSSE(1) and S.simulans(2). Complete correlation between MPIPC susceptibility and mecA were found. The femA gene was positive in 39/40 of S. aureus, and 0/14 of S.epidermidis, 2/3 of S.simulans. PBP2' were positive in 20/20 of MRSA, 0/20 of MSSA, 14/14 of MRSE, 0/1 of MSSE, 1/1 of methicillin-resistant S.simulans, and 0/2 of methicillin-sensitive S.simulans. In conclusion, diagnoses of MRSA by simultaneous detection of mecA and femA gene as well as PBP2' are similarly useful because of their specificity and rapidity.