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Multicenter Study
. 2014 Apr 24;9(4):e96255.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096255. eCollection 2014.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from distinct geographic locations in China: an increasing prevalence of spa-t030 and SCCmec type III

Yong Chen  1 , Zhengxiang Liu  2 , Libo Duo  3 , Jie Xiong  4 , Yanwen Gong  5 , Jiyong Yang  6 , Zhanke Wang  7 , Xuqin Wu  8 , Zhongyi Lu  1 , Xiangzhao Meng  3 , Jingya Zhao  1 , Changjian Zhang  1 , Fang Wang  1 , Yulong Zhang  1 , Mengqiang Zhang  1 , Li Han  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from distinct geographic locations in China: an increasing prevalence of spa-t030 and SCCmec type III

Yong Chen et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

  • PLoS One. 2014;9(10):e112002

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus belongs to one of the most common bacteria causing healthcare and community associated infections in China, but their molecular characterization has not been well studied. From May 2011 to June 2012, a total of 322 non-duplicate S. aureus isolates were consecutively collected from seven tertiary care hospitals in seven cities with distinct geographical locations in China, including 171 methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 151 MRSA isolates. All isolates were characterized by spa typing. The presence of virulence genes was tested by PCR. MRSA were further characterized by SCCmec typing. Seventy four and 16 spa types were identified among 168 MSSA and 150 MRSA, respectively. One spa type t030 accounted for 80.1% of all MRSA isolates, which was higher than previously reported, while spa-t037 accounted for only 4.0% of all MRSA isolates. The first six spa types (t309, t189, t034, t377, t078 and t091) accounted for about one third of all MSSA isolates. 121 of 151 MRSA isolates (80.1%) were identified as SCCmec type III. pvl gene was found in 32 MSSA (18.7%) and 5 MRSA (3.3%) isolates, with ST22-MSSA-t309 as the most commonly identified strain. Compared with non-epidemic MRSA clones, epidemic MRSA clones (corresponding to ST239) exhibited a lower susceptibility to rifampin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, a higher prevalence of sea gene and a lower prevalence of seb, sec, seg, sei and tst genes. The increasing prevalence of multidrug resistant spa-t030 MRSA represents a major public health problem in China.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Population snapshot of 318 Staphylococcus aureus isolates described in the current study, using the results of spa typing.
Clusters of linked isolates correspond to clonal complexes by means of the BURP algorithm. Primary founders (in blue) are positioned centrally in the cluster. The highlighted numbers indicate spa types identified in the MRSA populations.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The comparisons of antibiotics resistance of epidemic MRSA clones (corresponding to ST239) and non-epidemic MRSA clones with MSSA isolates.
Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparison. P, penicillin; E, erythromycin; CLI, clindamycin; RIF, rifampin; CIP, ciprofloxacin; GM, gentamicin; TET, tetracycline; SXT, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, FD, flusidic acid. * P<0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3. The comparisons of virulence genes distribution of epidemic MRSA clones (corresponding to ST239) and non-epidemic MRSA clones with MSSA isolates.
Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparison. * P<0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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