Genomic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bacteremia reveals genetic features associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

Miquel Sánchez-Osuna, Marc Pedrosa, Paula Bierge, Inmaculada Gómez-Sánchez, Marina Alguacil Guillen, Mateu Espasa, Ivan Erill, Oriol Gasch Blasi, Oscar Q. Pich

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Genomic analyses of bacterial isolates are effective to compare the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence determinants in different contexts. This study provides a comprehensive genomic description of 339 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from patients with bacteremia (2014-2022). Nosocomial acquisition accounted for 56.6% of cases, with vascular catheters being the main infection source (31.8%). Fatality (27.4%), persistent bacteremia (19.5%), and septic emboli (24.2%) were documented. During the COVID-19 pandemic, S. aureus bacteremia episodes increased by 140%. Genetic features in pandemic isolates revealed higher prevalence of methicillin (mecA) and macrolide (msrA and mphC) resistance genes. Additionally, genes encoding clumping factors A and B, involved in fibrinogen binding, were more prevalent. This was linked to extensive macrolide use in COVID-19 accessory therapy and elevated fibrinogen levels in SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings highlight S. aureus adaptation to COVID-19 selective pressures and the value of whole-genome sequencing in molecular epidemiology studies.
Original languageEnglish
Article number110402
Number of pages15
JournaliScience
Volume27
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Aug 2024

Keywords

  • Evolutionary mechanisms
  • Genomic analysis
  • Microbial genomics
  • Alignment
  • Methicillin-resistant
  • Mortality
  • Blood-stream infections
  • Search
  • Epidemiology

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