Identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST8 isolates in China with potential high virulence

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST8 strains have spread worldwide, causing outbreaks in various regions. However, this clone has only been sporadically reported in China. Consequently, detailed information regarding the phylogeny and potential virulence of S. aureus ST8 strains in China remains unknown. In this study, we characterized six ST8 strains collected from three tertiary hospitals in China, including three MRSA (MR50, MR526, and MR254) and three MSSA (H78, H849 and H863). Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the six strains formed two separate clusters, including two (MR50 and MR526) and four (MR254, H78, H849 and H863) isolates, respectively. Among them, MR50 and MR526 harboured spa t008, SCCmec IVa, arginine catabolic mobile element, and were phylogenetically close to the epidemic USA300 strains, while other four strains belonged to spa t9101 and formed a unique branch. MR254 carried a novel hybrid SCCmec element (namely SCCmec254). Same as the USA300 prototype strain LAC, the China S. aureus ST8 strains produced weak biofilms except MR254. Among them, MR254 had significantly stronger haemolysis ability and higher α-toxin levels than others, while MR526 showed comparable haemolysis and α-toxin production levels as USA300-LAC. In mouse skin abscess model, MR254 showed particularly strong invasions, accompanied by necrosis, while MR526 exhibited similar infection levels as USA300-LAC. These data suggested that the China MRSA ST8 isolates (e.g. MR254 and MR526) were highly virulent, displaying higher or similar virulence potential as the epidemic USA300 strain. Active surveillance should be enacted to closely monitor the further spread of these hyper-virulent MRSA strains in China.