Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are an important cause of human and animal diseases. Treatment of these diseases is complicated by their common antimicrobial resistance, caused by overuse of antibiotics in hospital and veterinary environment. Therefore, they are assumed to serve as a reservoir of resistance genes often located on plasmids. In this study, we analyzed plasmid content in 62 strains belonging to 10 CoNS species of human and veterinary origin. In 48 (77%) strains analyzed, 107 different plasmids were detected, and only some of them showed similarities with plasmids found previously. In total, seven different antimicrobial-resistance genes carried by plasmids were identified. Five of the CoNS staphylococci carried plasmids identical with either those of other CoNS species tested, or a well characterized Staphylococcus aureus strain COL, suggesting plasmid dissemination through horizontal transfer. To demonstrate the possibility of horizontal transfer, we performed electroporation of four resistance plasmids among Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus petrasii, and coagulase-positive S. aureus strains. Plasmids were transferred unchanged, were stably maintained in recipient strains, and expressed resistance genes. Our work demonstrates a great variability of plasmids in human and veterinary staphylococcal strains and their ability to maintain and express resistance plasmids from other staphylococcal species.

中文翻译：

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凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌中耐药质粒的变异性及其作为抗菌药耐药性库的重要性。

凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌（CoNS）是人类和动物疾病的重要原因。这些疾病的治疗因医院和兽医环境中过度使用抗生素而引起的常见抗药性而变得复杂。因此，假定它们充当通常位于质粒上的抗性基因的库。在这项研究中，我们分析了人类和兽医起源的10个CoNS物种的62个菌株中的质粒含量。在分析的48个菌株中（77％），检测到107个不同的质粒，只有其中一些显示出与以前发现的质粒相似。总共鉴定出了质粒携带的七个不同的抗药性基因。CoNS葡萄球菌中有五个带有与测试的其他CoNS物种相同的质粒，或特征明确的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株COL，表明质粒通过水平转移传播。为了证明水平转移的可能性，我们在表皮葡萄球菌，petrasii葡萄球菌和凝固酶阳性金黄色葡萄球菌菌株之间进行了四个抗性质粒的电穿孔。质粒原样转移，稳定地保持在受体菌株中，并表达抗性基因。我们的工作证明了人类和兽医葡萄球菌菌株中质粒的巨大变异性以及它们维持和表达其他葡萄球菌物种抗性质粒的能力。葡萄球菌petrasii和凝固酶阳性的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株。质粒原样转移，稳定地保持在受体菌株中，并表达抗性基因。我们的工作证明了人类和兽医葡萄球菌菌株中质粒的巨大变异性以及它们维持和表达其他葡萄球菌物种抗性质粒的能力。葡萄球菌petrasii和凝固酶阳性的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株。质粒原样转移，稳定地保持在受体菌株中，并表达抗性基因。我们的工作证明了人类和兽医葡萄球菌菌株中质粒的巨大变异性以及它们维持和表达其他葡萄球菌物种抗性质粒的能力。