Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Mar 5:2021:6643108.
doi: 10.1155/2021/6643108. eCollection 2021.

Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates during 7.5 Years in One Regional Hospital in Israel

Regev Cohen  1   2 , Svetlana Paikin  3 , Talya Finn  4 , Frida Babushkin  4 , Einav Anuka  5 , Moti Baum  5 , Assaf Rokney  5
Affiliations

Molecular Epidemiology of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clinical Isolates during 7.5 Years in One Regional Hospital in Israel

Regev Cohen et al. J Environ Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The clonal repertoire of community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains appear to differ between hospitals and geographic locations. We aimed to study the molecular epidemiology of MRSA infections in our regional hospital in Israel.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of MRSA isolates from hospitalized patients, which underwent spa typing between 2012 and 2019. Mainly, MRSA-bloodstream isolates were typed. Isolates were grouped into healthcare-associated (HcA) or community-associated (CA). HcA were further divided into hospital-related or long-term care facility- (LTCF-) related. Several representatives underwent SCCmec typing.

Results: We analyzed 166 clinical MRSA isolates: 115 (70%) bloodstream, 42 (25%) wounds/abscesses, and 9 (5%) screening isolates. 145 (87%) were HcA, and 21 (13%) were CA. Common (72%) spa types were t002, t032, t008, t001, and t065. Eighty (55%) isolates were attributed to LTCFs and 65 isolates to our hospital, both showing similar spa types distribution. The most prevalent spa type among patients with HcA infection was t002 (50 isolates, 32%), followed by t032, t065, t578, t008, and t001. Most (88/115, 77%) bloodstream infections (BSIs) were HcA, typically occurring in the same facility in which the infection was acquired. In 27 cases (23%), the BSI developed in the community setting, and in half of these cases, a previous healthcare system exposure was evident.

Conclusions: The MRSA clonal population in this longitudinal study was stable and consisted mainly of molecular lineages widespread in Europe. SCCmec-IV strains play a major role in causing MRSA infections in the healthcare settings, especially in LTCFs. Community-acquired MRSA BSIs without any previous healthcare exposure are still relatively rare.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare they have no conflicts of interest regarding this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Composition of the 200 spa-typed S. aureus isolates.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Common MRSA spa types according to acquisition location. (a) All (n = 166), (b) hospital acquired (n = 65), (c) LTCF acquired (n = 80), and (d) CA (n = 21).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Turner N. A., Sharma-Kuinkel B. K., Maskarinec S. A., et al. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an overview of basic and clinical research. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 2019;17(4):203–218. doi: 10.1038/s41579-018-0147-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lakhundi S., Zhang K. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: molecular characterization, evolution, and epidemiology. Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 2018;31(4) doi: 10.1128/cmr.00020-18. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Asadollahi P., Farahani N. N., Mirzaii M., et al. Distribution of the most prevalent spa types among clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus around the world: a review. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2018;9:p. 163. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00163. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Israel Ministry of Health. Jerusalem Central Laboratories Reports. 2016. https://www.health.gov.il/PublicationsFiles/LAB_JER2016.pdf.
    1. Israel Ministry of Health. Jerusalem Central Laboratories Reports. 2017. https://www.health.gov.il/PublicationsFiles/LAB_JER2017.pdf.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources