engleski

Molecular characteristics of MRSA strains and patient risk factors in vascular surgery

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the major pathogens in hospitals, and since the 1990s it has been recognized as an important pathogen in community infections. (1) The aim of this study was to analyze MRSA strains from a vascular surgery ward over a five-year period, since the vascular ward is considered to be a high-risk site for different multi-resistant pathogens, among which MRSA is very important. The method used for the microbiological identification and susceptibility testing of strains was the Vitek2 system. For the detailed characterization of the MRSA strains, we used the following molecular methods: SCCmec typing, pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa typing and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) detection. During the 5-year period, 77 MRSA strains were isolated. Antimicrobial susceptibility: 100% of MRSA isolates were susceptible to oxazolidinones and glycopeptides, 55% were susceptible to gentamycin, and 98% were susceptible to tetracyclines. SCCmec typing: 43 of 77 (55.8%) strains were typed as SCCmec I. The number of isolates with SCCmec II was 28 (36.4%). Three isolates carried SCCmec III. After the PFGE analysis, the isolates were grouped into six similarity groups: A-F. The largest number of isolates (80.6%) belonged to one of two groups: A: 35 (46.8%) and D: 25 (33.8%). Conclusion: The analysis of MRSA strains in the vascular surgery ward revealed high homogeneity among the strains, the majority of which belonged to SCCmec type I. This type, together with the susceptibility profile and PFGE grouping, is considered to be typical of Hospital-Acquired (HA) MRSA.

surgery ; infection ; molecular typing

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