The antimicrobial susceptibility, biofilm formation and genotypic profiles of Staphylococcus haemolyticus from bloodstream infections

• Main Authors: Patricia Vollu Silva, Raquel Souza Cruz, Luiz Sergio Keim, Geraldo Renato de Paula, Bernadete Teixeira Ferreira Carvalho, Leonardo Rocchetto Coelho, Maria Cicera da Silva Carvalho, Joel Mauricio Correa da Rosa, Agnes Marie Sa Figueiredo, Lenise Arneiro Teixeira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde 2013-09-01
• Series: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.
• Subjects: Staphylococcus haemolyticus; SCCmec; biofilm
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762013000600812&lng=en&tlng=en
• ISSN: 1678-8060

We analysed the antimicrobial susceptibility, biofilm formation and genotypic profiles of 27 isolates of Staphylococcus haemolyticus obtained from the blood of 19 patients admitted to a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our analysis revealed a clinical significance of 36.8% and a multi-resistance rate of 92.6% among these isolates. All but one isolate carried the mecA gene. The staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type I was the most prevalent mec element detected (67%). Nevertheless, the isolates showed clonal diversity based on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis. The ability to form biofilms was detected in 66% of the isolates studied. Surprisingly, no icaAD genes were found among the biofilm-producing isolates.