Original scientific paper
Molecular characteristics of MRSA strains and patient risk factors in vascular surgery
ANA BUDIMIR
; Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
ZRINKA BOŠNJAK
; Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
IVANA MAREKOVIĆ
; Department of Clinical and Molecular Microbiology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
ZLATKO FIOLIĆ
; Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
IRENA ŠNAJDAR
; Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
DAMIR HALUŽAN
; Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
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.
Keywords
surgery; infection; molecular typing
Hrčak ID:
134168
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2014.
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