Werner G, Cuny C, Schmitz FJ, Witte W (2001): Methicillin-resistant, quinupristin-dalfopristin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with reduced sensitivity to glycopeptides
J. Clin. Microbiol. 39 (10): 3586-3590.

Of 3,052 Staphylococcus aureus strains collected by the European SENTRY surveillance study, 35 were found to be nonsusceptible to quinupristin-dalfopristin (MIC of > or =2 mg/liter). These isolates originated from four hospitals in France and one in Spain. In isolates from two Parisian hospitals exhibiting the same Sma I macrorestriction pattern, streptogramin resistance was based on vatA and vgbA. One isolate from a hospital in Lyon and 22 from a hospital in Lille were of the vatB vgaB streptogramin A resistance genotype and possessed ermA and/or ermC. As deduced from the loss of either streptogramin A or streptogramin B resistance determinants in particular isolates, resistance to quinupristin-dalfopristin requires mechanisms conferring resistance to both compounds. The SmaI macrorestriction patterns of strains from hospitals in Lille and Lyon were different; however, similarity analysis suggested a relatedness of 20 methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains from the Lille hospital, a finding confirmed by PCR typing based on three different genomic polymorphisms. These groups of isolates were found to be hetero-glycopeptide-intermediate susceptible S. aureus. Information about the failure of glycopeptide chemotherapy has not been available.