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Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA

Published on: February 9, 2011

Prevalence and Characterization of Food-Related Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in China

Shi Wu^1,2, Jiahui Huang^1,2, Feng Zhang^1,2,3

¹State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou, China.

Frontiers in Microbiology

|March 8, 2019

Abstract:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging pathogen that is difficult to treat due to the multiresistance of the bacteria upon infection. From 2011 to 2016, 1581 S. aureus strains were isolated from 4300 samples from retail foods covering most provincial capitals in China. To determine the prevalence of food-related MRSA and its genetic background in China, antibiotic resistance, staphylococcal toxin genes, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, spa-typing and MLST were carried out in this study. In total, 108 (7.4%) isolates were confirmed for MRSA by phenotyping (cefoxitin) and genotyping (mecA/mecC gene). A total of 52.8% (57/108) of the MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex 59 (CC59) (ST59, ST338, and ST3355), which was the predominant clone in this study. These CC59 isolates carried SCCmec elements of type IV, V, or III and exhibited spa type t437, t441, t543, t163, t1785, or t3485, and half of them carried major virulence genes, such as the Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) gene. The secondary clones belonged to ST9 (15.7%, 17/108) with a type of t899-SCCmec III and showed a broader range of antimicrobial resistance. The remaining MRSA isolates (31.5%, 34/108) were distributed in 12 different STs and 18 different spa types. All isolates harbored at least one of the enterotoxin genes, whereas only 4 isolates (3.70%) were positive for the toxic shock syndrome toxin tsst alleles. For antibiotic susceptibility testing, all isolates were resistant to more than three antibiotics, and 79.6% of the isolates were resistant to more than 10 antibiotics. Amoxycillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefoxitin, penicillin, ceftazidime, kanamycin, streptomycin, clindamycin, and telithromycin was the most common antibiotic resistance profile (55.6%, 60/108) in the study. In summary, the results of this study implied that the major food-related MRSA isolate in China was closer to community-associated MRSA, and some of the remaining isolates (ST9-t899-SCCmec III) were supposed to livestock-associated MRSA. In addition, most MRSA isolates showed resistance to multiple drugs and harbored staphylococcal toxin genes. Thus, the pathogenic potential of these isolates cannot be ignored. In addition, further studies are needed to elucidate the transmission routes of MRSA in relation to retail foods and to determine how to prevent the spread of MRSA.

Insights

Foodborne methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in China is predominantly CC59, resembling community-associated MRSA. Livestock-associated MRSA strains were also detected, highlighting significant antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic potential in food samples.

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Food Safety
Antimicrobial Resistance

Background:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant public health threat due to its multidrug resistance.
Retail foods represent a potential vehicle for MRSA transmission, necessitating an understanding of its prevalence and characteristics in China.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of MRSA in retail food samples across China.
To characterize the antibiotic resistance profiles, virulence genes, and molecular types (SCCmec, spa, MLST) of foodborne MRSA isolates.

Main Methods:

Isolation and identification of S. aureus from retail food samples.
Phenotypic and genotypic confirmation of MRSA using cefoxitin and mecA/mecC genes.
Molecular typing including SCCmec, spa-typing, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST).
Detection of staphylococcal toxin genes and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Main Results:

MRSA was detected in 7.4% (108/1581) of S. aureus isolates from retail foods.
Clonal Complex 59 (CC59) was the predominant clone (52.8%), exhibiting characteristics of community-associated MRSA.
ST9 isolates (15.7%) showed broader antimicrobial resistance and were suspected to be livestock-associated MRSA.
All MRSA isolates displayed multidrug resistance (≥3 antibiotics), with 79.6% resistant to over 10 antibiotics.
Enterotoxin genes were universally present, and Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) was detected in half of the CC59 isolates.

Conclusions:

Foodborne MRSA in China is dominated by CC59, with potential implications for community health.
The presence of livestock-associated MRSA (ST9) in food warrants further investigation into transmission routes.
High rates of multidrug resistance and the presence of virulence factors underscore the significant pathogenic potential of foodborne MRSA.

Read full analysis

Keywords:

MLST MRSA antibiotic resistance retail food spa-typing

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