High diversity in SCCmec elements among multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus strains originating from paediatric patients; characterization of a new composite island

Abstract

A high diversity of SCCmec elements with the prevalence of a new composite island was determined among MRSH strains. The structure of the composite island represented by MDR-SH strains in this study, in combination with the presence of a restriction-modification system type III, is described for the first time in this study. The presence of an 8 bp direct repeat (DR) and the sequences flanking the DR may support the integration of the mecA gene complex as a composite transposon (IS431-mecA-IS431) independently from recombinase genes.