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. 2024 Jan 12:13:1339339.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1339339. eCollection 2023.

Comparative genomic analysis of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients and retail meat

Dalal M Alkuraythi  1   2 , Manal M Alkhulaifi  1 , Abdulwahab Z Binjomah  3   4 , Mohammed Alarwi  5 , Mohammed I Mujallad  6 , Saleh Ali Alharbi  3 , Mohammad Alshomrani  3 , Takashi Gojobori  5 , Sulaiman M Alajel  7
Affiliations

Comparative genomic analysis of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients and retail meat

Dalal M Alkuraythi et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen that poses a threat to public health due to its association with foodborne contamination and a variety of infections. The factors contributing to the pathogenicity of S. aureus include virulence, drug resistance, and toxin production, making it essential to monitor their prevalence and genetic profiles. This study investigated and compared the genomic characteristics of S. aureus isolates from retail meat and patients in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A total of 136 S. aureus isolates were obtained between October 2021 and June 2022:84 from patients and 53 from meat samples in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. S. aureus isolates were identified using conventional methods and MALDI-TOF MS, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was identified using VITEK2 and BD Phoenix systems. MRSA was confirmed phenotypically using chromogenic agar, and genotypically by detecting mecA. Genomic data were analyzed using BactopiaV2 pipeline, local BLAST, and MLST databases.

Results: Antibiotic resistance genes were prevalent in both meat and patient S. aureus isolates, with high prevalence of tet38, blaZ, and fosB. Notably, all S. aureus isolates from patients carried multidrug-resistant (MDR) genes, and a high percentage of S. aureus isolates from meat also harbored MDR genes. Phenotypically, 43% of the S. aureus isolates from meat and 100% of the patients' isolates were MDR. Enterotoxin genes, including selX, sem, and sei, exhibited high compatibility between meat and patient S. aureus isolates. Virulence genes such as cap, hly/hla, sbi, and isd were found in all S. aureus isolates from both sources.

Conclusion: Our study established a genetic connection between S. aureus isolates from meat and patients, showing shared antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. The presence of these genes in meat derived isolates underscores its role as a reservoir. Genomic relatedness also suggests potential transmission of resistance between different settings. These findings emphasize the necessity for a comprehensive approach to monitor and control S. aureus infections in both animals and humans.

Keywords: MRSA; Staphylococcal toxins; Staphylococcus aureus; antibiotic resistance genes; virulence factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The heat map illustrates the correlation coefficient (r) between the demonstrated antimicrobial resistance genes in the S. aureus strains and different antimicrobial agents.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes, enterotoxin genes, and virulence genes plotted against core genome phylogeny of S. aureus isolates based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The agr, sequence types, and sources of the isolates were aligned with the tree. The fully colored circle indicates the presence of the target gene. White circles indicate the absence of investigated genes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in S. aureus isolated from meat. (B). Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in S. aureus isolated from patients.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of enterotoxin genes in S. aureus isolated from meat and patients.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Snakey diagram illustrating the multiplicity of resistance and enterotoxin genes present in S. aureus isolates from both meat samples and patients.
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