High prevalence of qacA/B carriage among clinical isolates of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Malaysia

M N Shamsudin; M A Alreshidi; R A Hamat; A S Alshrari; S S Atshan; V Neela

doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2012.04.015

High prevalence of qacA/B carriage among clinical isolates of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Malaysia

J Hosp Infect. 2012 Jul;81(3):206-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2012.04.015. Epub 2012 May 26.

Authors

M N Shamsudin¹, M A Alreshidi, R A Hamat, A S Alshrari, S S Atshan, V Neela

Affiliation

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

PMID: 22633074
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2012.04.015

Abstract

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 60 meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from Malaysia to three antiseptic agents - benzalkonium chloride (BZT), benzethonium chloride (BAC) and chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) - were determined. All isolates had MICs ranging from 0.5 to 2 mg/L. Antiseptic resistance genes qacA/B and smr were detected in 83.3% and 1.6% of the isolates, respectively. Carriage of qacA/B correlated with reduced susceptibility to CHG and BAC. This is the first report of the prevalence of qacA/B and smr gene carriage in Malaysian MRSA isolates, with a high frequency of qacA/B carriage. The presence of these antiseptic resistance genes and associated reduced susceptibility to antiseptic agents may have clinical implications.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anti-Infective Agents, Local / pharmacology*
Antiporters / genetics
Bacterial Proteins / genetics*
Benzalkonium Compounds / pharmacology
Benzethonium / pharmacology
Chlorhexidine / analogs & derivatives
Chlorhexidine / pharmacology
Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics*
Humans
Malaysia / epidemiology
Membrane Transport Proteins / genetics*
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects*
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / metabolism
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Prevalence
Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology*
Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology

Substances

Anti-Infective Agents, Local
Antiporters
Bacterial Proteins
Benzalkonium Compounds
Membrane Transport Proteins
QacB protein, Staphylococcus aureus
small multidrug-resistance pump, Staphylococcus aureus
qacA protein, Staphylococcus aureus
Benzethonium
chlorhexidine gluconate
Chlorhexidine