Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China
Abstract Background This study investigated the clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates from patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID- 19) at West China Hospital between December 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. Methods In total, 102 strains isolated from...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | BMC Infectious Diseases |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10868-9 |
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| author | Siying Wu Mei Kang Ya Liu Yuling Xiao Jin Deng Weili Zhang Quanfeng Liao |
| author_facet | Siying Wu Mei Kang Ya Liu Yuling Xiao Jin Deng Weili Zhang Quanfeng Liao |
| author_sort | Siying Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background This study investigated the clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates from patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID- 19) at West China Hospital between December 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. Methods In total, 102 strains isolated from sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, endotracheal aspirates, and blood were collected from 102 patients and subjected to multilocus sequence typing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Eighteen virulence genes were also analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. Results Seventy-five patients were discharged and 27 died. The predominant comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac disease. Twenty-eight known sequence types (STs) and 10 novel ones (ST8773/CC398, ST9221/CC5, ST9222/CC59, ST9223/CC8, ST9224/CC22, ST9225/CC1, ST9226/CC5, ST9227/CC59, ST9228/CC59, ST9229/CC398) were identified. The dominant molecular types were ST15 (CC15), ST59 (CC59), and ST5 (CC5). Among the three most prevalent STs, ST5 was significantly more resistant to levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole than were ST59 and ST15. ST59 and ST5 had higher rates of resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin than ST15. All isolates contained at least eight virulence genes. The hemolysin gene hlb was found to be more prevalent in ST59 (100%) and ST5 (84.6%) than in ST15 (0) (P < 0.001). The prevalence of the enterotoxin gene seb in ST59 (100%) was significantly higher than that in ST5 (23.1%) and ST15 (20%) (P < 0.001), while the carrying rate of the sec gene was significantly higher in ST5 (76.9%) than that in ST59 (0) and ST15 (0) (P < 0.001). Conclusions The S. aureus isolates from patients with COVID- 19 in Southwest China exhibited a high degree of genetic diversity. Different STs exhibited different antimicrobial resistance patterns and virulence gene carrying rates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-840f40539ea641e683db718b8689d743 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1471-2334 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-840f40539ea641e683db718b8689d7432025-08-20T02:27:50ZengBMCBMC Infectious Diseases1471-23342025-04-0125111110.1186/s12879-025-10868-9Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest ChinaSiying Wu0Mei Kang1Ya Liu2Yuling Xiao3Jin Deng4Weili Zhang5Quanfeng Liao6Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityAbstract Background This study investigated the clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates from patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID- 19) at West China Hospital between December 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023. Methods In total, 102 strains isolated from sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, endotracheal aspirates, and blood were collected from 102 patients and subjected to multilocus sequence typing and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Eighteen virulence genes were also analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. Results Seventy-five patients were discharged and 27 died. The predominant comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac disease. Twenty-eight known sequence types (STs) and 10 novel ones (ST8773/CC398, ST9221/CC5, ST9222/CC59, ST9223/CC8, ST9224/CC22, ST9225/CC1, ST9226/CC5, ST9227/CC59, ST9228/CC59, ST9229/CC398) were identified. The dominant molecular types were ST15 (CC15), ST59 (CC59), and ST5 (CC5). Among the three most prevalent STs, ST5 was significantly more resistant to levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole than were ST59 and ST15. ST59 and ST5 had higher rates of resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin than ST15. All isolates contained at least eight virulence genes. The hemolysin gene hlb was found to be more prevalent in ST59 (100%) and ST5 (84.6%) than in ST15 (0) (P < 0.001). The prevalence of the enterotoxin gene seb in ST59 (100%) was significantly higher than that in ST5 (23.1%) and ST15 (20%) (P < 0.001), while the carrying rate of the sec gene was significantly higher in ST5 (76.9%) than that in ST59 (0) and ST15 (0) (P < 0.001). Conclusions The S. aureus isolates from patients with COVID- 19 in Southwest China exhibited a high degree of genetic diversity. Different STs exhibited different antimicrobial resistance patterns and virulence gene carrying rates.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10868-9COVID- 19Staphylococcus aureusMultilocus sequence typingAntimicrobial susceptibilityVirulence gene |
| spellingShingle | Siying Wu Mei Kang Ya Liu Yuling Xiao Jin Deng Weili Zhang Quanfeng Liao Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China BMC Infectious Diseases COVID- 19 Staphylococcus aureus Multilocus sequence typing Antimicrobial susceptibility Virulence gene |
| title | Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China |
| title_full | Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China |
| title_fullStr | Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China |
| title_short | Clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with COVID-19 in Southwest China |
| title_sort | clinical and molecular characteristics of staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with covid 19 in southwest china |
| topic | COVID- 19 Staphylococcus aureus Multilocus sequence typing Antimicrobial susceptibility Virulence gene |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10868-9 |
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