Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant global health threat.
• Limited data exists on MRSA strain types circulating in Central Asia, particularly Mongolia.
• Understanding circulating MRSA strains is crucial for effective infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• To identify the staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types and sequence types (STs) of circulating MRSA.
• To assess the genetic diversity of MRSA strains in Mongolia.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of six MRSA strains collected from Mongolian hospitals (2000-2002).
• Identification of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types and multilocus sequence typing (MLST).
• Characterization using automated ribotyping (EcoRI) and SmaI-macrorestriction analysis.

Main Results:

• Three MRSA strains were identified as SCCmec type IVc, ST154, and carried Panton-Valentine leukocidin (lukS-lukF).
• The other three MRSA strains were SCCmec type III and MLST type ST239.
• Automated ribotyping revealed four EcoRI ribotypes, and SmaI-macrorestriction distinguished two isolate groups.
• The incidence of MRSA in Mongolia was found to be low in comparison to other countries.

Conclusions:

• Two distinct MRSA lineages, SCCmec IVc (ST154) and SCCmec III (ST239), were circulating in Mongolia during 2000-2002.
• The genetic diversity of MRSA in Mongolia appears limited based on this sample.
• Mongolia exhibits a low incidence of MRSA, warranting further epidemiological surveillance.