Molecular Typing of MRSA and of Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Iaşi, Romania

Abstract

Romania is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the world. To obtain data on affiliation of MRSA to strains and clonal complexes and on the population of methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), clinical isolates from bloodstream infections, skin and soft tissue infections as well as from screening swabs were collected at hospitals in Ia?i, a city in the North-Eastern part of Romania. Isolates were characterised by microarray hybridisation. Nearly half of all isolates (47%), and about one third (34%) of bloodstream isolates were MRSA. The prevalence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was also high (31% among MRSA, 14% among MSSA). The most common MRSA strain was a PVL-negative CC1-MRSA-IV that might have emerged locally, as a related MSSA was also common. PVL-positive CC8-MRSA-IV (“USA300”) and PVL-negative ST239-like MRSA-III were also frequently found while other MRSA strains were only sporadically detected. Among MSSA, PVL-positive CC121 as well as PVL-negative CC1, CC22 and CC45 predominated. Although this study provides only a snapshot of S. aureus/MRSA epidemiology in Romania, it confirms the high burden of MRSA and PVL on Romanian healthcare settings.

Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from skin and soft tissue infections samples and healthy carriers in the Central Slovenia region

“…Most of them were pvl positive with pronounced genetic diversity (Tables S1 and S2; Figs 1 and 2). SSTIs caused by pvl positive CC121 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) were reported from Poland, Romania, Germany, Russia, Ireland, and United Kingdom, showing worldwide distribution of this lineage (25,26,30,33,34). In our study, CC121 was rare among healthy carriers.…”

“…We have also found that MRSA was a rare cause of SSTIs in the targeted population (2.8%) which correlates well with results from studies from Poland (1.3%), Germany (3.0%), United Kingdom (1.8%), and Ireland (5.0%); low prevalence was also reported from China (4.0%) (25)(26)(27)(28). MRSA prevalence among SSTI strains between 5 and 10% was reported from France and Portugal, whereas some countries reported prevalence of over 25% (Russia, India, USA) and even over 50% (Romania) (27,(29)(30)(31)(32)(33). The majority of S. aureus isolates in our study belonged to seven major CCs (CC7, CC15, CC22, CC30, CC34, CC45, and CC121).…”

Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates in European Wildlife

“…A strain that closely resembled the MRSA from rooks was frequently found among humans in Romania [116]. …”

“…e ., goats and sheep [2,3,154], but also in domestic pigs [123], cats, dogs, [156], cattle [155] and donkeys [157]. It could have been transmitted from wild to domestic ruminants, or vice versa , and the few reported human cases [116] could be related to contact to animals or animal products.…”

An epidemic CC1-MRSA-IV clone yields false negative test results in molecular MRSA identification assays: a note of caution

“…Ten Romanian CC1-MRSA-IV isolates were recovered between 2007 and 2010, during routine microbiological diagnostics in the Sfanta Parascheva Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Iasi, a 300-bed tertiary centre in North-Eastern Romania, where European CC1-MRSA-IV appears to be common (17).…”