Autolysis of Heterogeneous Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus Aureus

Abstract

Alterations of autolytic activities are always associated with vancomycin resistance in S. aureus. Two laboratory-derived heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (hVISA) strains, KY-9 and UH7-9, had slight decreased whole cell autolysis. A slight increased whole cell autolytic activitiy was observed for KY-9 with the presence of vancomycin in the assay buffer. Similar result was achieved for its vancomycin susceptible parental strain, KY. Autolysin profiles in the absence and presence of vancomycin are varied among the bacterial strains tested, reflecting the genetic differences between the organisms and regulation of autolysins that may implicate the changes of autolysis.

Keywords: heterogeneous VISA, autolysin, vancomycin