Screening and Confirmation of mecA producing Staphylococcus aureus
.bmp)
Purpose: Screening and confirmation of the mecA gene are essential steps in the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics, including methicillin. The mecA gene is involved in resistance to beta-lactamases by methicillin-resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Principle: The mecA gene is a gene found in bacterial cells. The most commonly known carrier of the mecA gene is the bacterium known as MRSA. The mecA gene allows a bacterium to be resistant to antibiotics such as Methicillin, Penicillin and other penicillin-like antibiotics. The mecA gene does not allow the ring like structure of penicillin-like antibiotics to attack the enzymes that help form the cell wall of the bacterium (transpeptidases), and hence the bacteria is allowed to replicate as normal. The mecA gene encodes the protein PBP2A (Penicillin binding protein 2A). PBP2A has a low affinity for beta-lactams such as Methicill...