Genetic Diversity of Tn916-Related Transposons among Drug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates Colonizing Healthy Children in Venezuela

• Published in: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Vol. 55; no. 10; pp. 4930 - 4932
• Main Authors: Quintero, Beatríz, Araque, María, van der Gaast-de Jongh, Christa, Hermans, Peter W. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Children; clones; Conjugation, Genetic; Data processing; DNA Transposable Elements; DNA Transposable Elements - genetics; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; drug effects; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial - genetics; Epidemiology and Surveillance; Europe; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; genetics; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; isolation & purification; Medical sciences; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; multiple drug resistance; pharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Spreading; Staphylococcal infections, streptococcal infections, pneumococcal infections; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - drug effects; Streptococcus pneumoniae - genetics; Streptococcus pneumoniae - isolation & purification; Transposons; Venezuela; Venezuela; Europe; South America; America; Treatment resistance; Healthy subject; Transposon; Genetic diversity; Transposable element; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Infection; Streptococcaceae; Streptococcal infection; Bacteriosis; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Isolate; Pneumococcal infection
• ISSN: 0066-4804; 1098-6596; 1098-6596
• DOI: 10.1128/AAC.00242-11

Among a collection of 48 multidrug-resistant pneumococcal strains colonizing healthy children in a small municipality of Mérida, Venezuela, we identified sequence types (STs) related to a variety of internationally spreading drug-resistant clones, as well as ST135, thus far isolated only in Europe. The clones invariably harbored one or more of the Tn916-related transposons Tn3872, Tn5253, Tn6002, Tn2009, and Tn2010. Finally, our data suggest both structural rearrangements in certain transposons and occurrence of novel transposable elements.