Molecular Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in a Tertiary Hospital in Anhui, China: ST59 Remains a Serious Threat

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics, antimicrobial resistance and hemolytic phenotype of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Anhui, China. Results: From August 2021 to January 2022, 214 S. aureus isolates were collected from the Anhui Provincial Hospital. This study identified 117 methicillin-resistant S. aureus and 97 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates, and the detection rate of methicillinresistant isolates was 1.8-fold higher than the average isolates reported in China (53.9% vs 30.5%). S. aureus isolates share identity at five or more of the seven MLST-based housekeeping loci, referred to as the clonal complex (CC). Forty ST types were found in 214 clinical S. aureus isolates, with the most extensive distribution of ST59 and ST6697 typing numbers and higher CC5 detection rates than any other clonal group. (The ST typing is the result of the MLST typing website query.) To detect the virulence of ST types of S. aureus, hemolysis experiments were performed on 214 clinical isolates, and it was concluded that ST59 had a relatively robust hemolytic capacity. Conclusion: Anhui S. aureus isolates have unique molecular and antibiotic resistance profiles. The antibiotic resistance profile may be related to the random use of antibiotics.

Insight into the Clonal Lineage and Antimicrobial Resistance of <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> from Vascular Access Infections before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The increasing rate of ST8 during the pandemic directly reflected the decline in the clindamycin resistance rate because none of the ST8 exhibited clindamycin resistance. Other studies have indicated that the clindamycin resistance rate of ST8 was 7.7%, 66.7%, and 44.6% in northern Taiwan between 2016 and 2018 [36]; in Anhui Province, China, between 2021 and 2022 [27]; and in Japan in 2019 [39], respectively, suggesting geographical variation depending on local antibiotic usage or different genetic distributions.…”

“…In Taiwan, the community-associated ST59 became a major clone in hospital settings in the 2010s [25]. A surveillance study conducted across 18 provinces of China reported the dominance of ST59 between 2014 and 2019 [26], and Zhang et al reported the dominance of ST59 in MRSA isolates in Anhui Province, China, in the 2020s [27]. Nevertheless, a study performed from 2009 to 2014 in a medical center in Southern Taiwan revealed that ST239 was the most common MLST type in hemodialysis cases (23.9%), followed by ST59 (17.7%) and ST45 (13.5%); however, infections by community-associated genotypes are increasing in the hemodialysis population [11].…”

Insight into the Clonal Lineage and Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from Vascular Access Infections before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In Taiwan, the community-associated ST59 became a major clone in hospital settings in the 2010s [ 17 ]. A surveillance study conducted across 18 provinces of China reported the dominance of ST59 between 2014 and 2019 [ 18 ], and Zhang et al reported the dominance of ST59 in MRSA isolates in Anhui Province, China, in the 2020s [ 19 ]. Nevertheless, a study performed from 2009 to 2014 in a medical center in Southern Taiwan revealed that ST239 was the most common MLST type in hemodialysis cases (23.9%), followed by ST59 (17.7%) and ST45 (13.5%); however, infections by community-associated genotypes are increasing in the hemodialysis population [ 11 ].…”

“…The increasing rate of ST8 during the pandemic directly reflected the decline in the clindamycin resistance rate because none of the ST8 exhibited clindamycin resistance. Other studies have indicated that the clindamycin resistance rate of ST8 was 7.7%, 66.7%, and 44.6% in northern Taiwan between 2016 and 2018 [ 28 ]; in Anhui Province, China, between 2021 and 2022 [ 19 ]; and in Japan in 2019 [ 31 ], respectively, suggesting geographical variation depending on local antibiotic usage or different genetic distributions.…”

Staphylococcus Aureus Toxins and its Pathogenesis: A Review

“…It stimulates the stimulation of inflammatory cells and disruption of the mucous cell barrier, which increases the interaction and spread of the toxin and leads to toxic shock syndrome. The gene encoding the production of this toxin was observed to be produced by limited isolates, and it is one of the toxins that contribute to morbidity and mortality [45]. F. Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems.…”