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Review
. 2022 Jan 11;11(1):86.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11010086.

Current Status of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCC mec)

Yuki Uehara  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Current Status of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCC mec)

Yuki Uehara. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing was established in the 2000s and has been employed as a tool for the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the evolution investigation of Staphylococcus species. Molecular cloning and the conventional sequencing of SCCmec have been adopted to verify the presence and structure of a novel SCCmec type, while convenient PCR-based SCCmec identification methods have been used in practical settings for many years. In addition, whole-genome sequencing has been widely used, and various SCCmec and similar structures have been recently identified in various species. The current status of the SCCmec types, SCCmec subtypes, rules for nomenclature, and multiple methods for identifying SCCmec types and subtypes were summarized in this review, according to the perspective of the International Working Group on the Classification of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Elements.

Keywords: International Working Group on the Classification of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome Elements; SCCmec subtyping; SCCmec typing; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of SCCmec excision and integration in S. aureus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the structures of SCCmec I–V in S. aureus. SCCmec should contain the mec gene complex and ccr gene (complex), with integration site sequence and direct repeats at both ends. Adapted with permission from Ref. [17]. 2009, American Society for Microbiology.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Representation of the naming conventions for ccr genes in S. aureus. Adapted with permission from Ref. [17]. 2009, American Society for Microbiology.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Description of SCCmec under two methods.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic comparison of the current SCCmec types (14 December 2021). Adapted with permissions from Ref. [17]. 2009, American Society for Microbiology, and Ref. [28]. 2018, Dr. Marc Stegger, and Ref. [29]. 2020, Dr. Noriko Urushibara.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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