AUTHOR=Xiong Mengyuan , Zhao Jin , Huang Tao , Wang Weihua , Wang Lijun , Zhao Zhijun , Li Xuehan , Zhou Junying , Xiao Xiao , Pan Yunbao , Lin Jun , Li Yirong 

TITLE=Molecular Characteristics, Virulence Gene and Wall Teichoic Acid Glycosyltransferase Profiles of Staphylococcus aureus: A Multicenter Study in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.02013

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.02013

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Staphylococcus aureus</italic> (<italic>S. aureus</italic>) constantly evolves under host and environment pressures. The monitoring network is essential in assessing the epidemiology of <italic>S. aureus</italic> infections. A total of 555 <italic>S. aureus</italic> isolates were collected from five hospitals in three different geographical regions of China for the investigation of molecular characteristics, antibiotic resistance, virulence gene, and wall teichoic acid (WTA) glycosyltransferase gene profiles. 233 (42.0%) isolates were identified as MRSA, and 323 (58.2%) were defined as multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. MRSA prevalence showed no significant difference among the three regions. In contrast, the MDR prevalence was significantly higher in central China than that in northern China (63.5% vs. 50.8%, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05). Thirty-eight sequence types (STs) belonging to 17 clone complexes (CCs) and 126 distinct <italic>spa</italic>-types were identified. The most prevalent clone was ST59-t437 (9.7%, 54/555), followed by ST22-t309 (7.6%, 42/555) and ST5-t2460 (7.2%, 40/555). Most ST59-t437 and ST5-t2460 were MRSA isolates, whereas most ST22-t309 was MSSA isolates. The predominant clones varied in different geographical areas. The distribution of the <italic>pvl</italic>, <italic>etb</italic>, <italic>tsst</italic>, <italic>clfb</italic>, <italic>sdrC</italic>, <italic>sdrD</italic>, <italic>hlg</italic>, <italic>fnbA</italic>, and <italic>hla</italic> genes showed significant differences among different regions. We found five WTA glycosyltransferase gene profiles, with <italic>tarP</italic>-/<italic>tarS</italic>+/<italic>tarM</italic>-/<italic>tagN</italic>- being the most common combination. Remarkably, the <italic>tarP</italic> gene was identified in more CCs than just CC5 and CC398. All of 16 <italic>tarP</italic>-positive isolates also contained the <italic>tarS</italic>. Moreover, <italic>tarS</italic> was present in almost all <italic>S. aureus</italic> isolates except 10 ST630 isolates. The <italic>tagN</italic> gene was only detected in 10 of 12 ST630 <italic>S. aureus</italic> isolates without <italic>tarS</italic>. The <italic>tarM</italic> gene was absent in CC5 and CC398. In brief, there were regional differences among molecular characteristics, antibiotic resistance, and virulence gene profiles. The <italic>tarS</italic>-negative ST630 lineage carried the <italic>tagN</italic>, which was never found before, indicating that it may be capable of expressing GroP-α-GalNAc WTA and exchanging mobile genetic elements with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS).</p>