Molecular epidemiologic study of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA...
| Grant number: | 10/02619-0 |
| Support type: | Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants |
| Duration: | January 01, 2011 - December 31, 2014 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Microbiology |
| Principal Investigator: | Ilana Lopes Baratella da Cunha Camargo |
| Grantee: | Ilana Lopes Baratella da Cunha Camargo |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil |
Abstract
Multi-resistant and virulent strains of MRSA have spread in many hospitals around the world and there are few therapies available to treat infections caused by this pathogen. In this study, 150 isolates from different sites of infection or colonization from hospitalized patients in Brazilian hospitals will be analyzed. These results will be important for the hospitals staff to know whether a strain is spreading or not, what would suggest an outbreak. In order to characterize the strains, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) will be carried out. Moreover, the SCCmec element of the main strains will be typed too. The efficiency of several antimicrobials will be evaluated as well as the frequency of VISA and h-VISA among the MRSA from Brazil. Besides, the prevalence of mutations in certain genes related to resistance mechanisms in VISA and the presence of the Panton Valentine Leukocidin genes will be verified. Moreover, we will also study, by crystallographic techniques, the structure of the response regulator GraR from the strain S. aureus N315 and its mutant GraR* from S. aureus Mu50 which is involved with the mechanism of decreased susceptibility to vancomycin and other drugs. This study will allow to understanding details of the GraR protein that could give us a new insight into the mechanism of resistance in VISA. (AU)