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Infection and Immunity, February 2004, p. 1210-1215, Vol. 72, No. 2
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.2.1210-1215.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Bacterial Insertion Sequence Element IS256 Occurs Preferentially in Nosocomial Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolates: Association with Biofilm Formation and Resistance to Aminoglycosides

Svetlana Kozitskaya,1 Seung-Hak Cho,1 Katja Dietrich,1 Reinhard Marre,2 Kurt Naber,3 and Wilma Ziebuhr1*

Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, D-97070 Würzburg,1 Abteilung für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, D-89081 Ulm,2 Urologische Klinik, Elisabeth-Krankenhaus, D-94315 Straubing, Germany3

Received 3 July 2003/ Returned for modification 5 September 2003/ Accepted 5 November 2003

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a normal constituent of the healthy human microflora, but it is also the most common cause of nosocomial infections associated with the use of indwelling medical devices. Isolates from device-associated infections are known for their pronounced phenotypic and genetic variability, and in this study we searched for factors that might contribute to this flexibility. We show that mutator phenotypes, which exhibit elevated spontaneous mutation rates, are rare among both pathogenic and commensal S. epidermidis strains. However, the study revealed that, in contrast to those of commensal strains, the genomes of clinical S. epidermidis strains carry multiple copies of the insertion sequence IS256, while other typical staphylococcal insertion sequences, such as IS257 and IS1272, are distributed equally among saprophytic and clinical isolates. Moreover, detection of IS256 was found to be associated with biofilm formation and the presence of the icaADBC operon as well as with gentamicin and oxacillin resistance in the clinical strains. The data suggest that IS256 is a characteristic element in the genome of multiresistant nosocomial S. epidermidis isolates that might be involved in the flexibility and adaptation of the genome in clinical isolates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Röntgenring 11, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany. Phone: 49-931-31 2154. Fax: 49-931-31 2578. E-mail: w.ziebuhr{at}mail.uni-wuerzburg.de.

Editor: J. N. Weiser

Infection and Immunity, February 2004, p. 1210-1215, Vol. 72, No. 2
0019-9567/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.72.2.1210-1215.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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