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CC398 Staphylococcus aureus subpopulations in Belgian patients

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Abstract

Studies based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) supported the existence of two subpopulations in clonal complex (CC) 398 Staphylococcus aureus: an ancestral human-adapted clade (HC) and an animal-associated clade (AC). In this study, we have investigated the occurrence of genetic markers that allow discrimination of these subpopulations among CC398 isolates collected during 2014 to 2016 from human patients in Belgium. A collection of isolates was investigated by means of spa-typing and 16S-mecA-nuc PCR. CC398 isolates were classified as belonging to the human or the animal clade by using a canonical SNPs PCR and further studied by antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of toxins, immune evasion cluster (IEC), and resistance genes. A total of 124 (7.8%) human isolates belonged to CC398. They were grouped into HC (n = 58) or AC (n = 66). The genes erm(T), pvl, chp, and scn were predominantly found in HC-CC398, while AC-CC398 isolates carried more frequently than the mecA, erm(C), tet(K), tet(M), and tet(L) genes. Different combinations of gene profiles were observed according to the clade. CC398 isolates from Belgian patients belonged to different subpopulations including typical HC and AC-isolates. Few HC-strains with mecA and AC-isolates harboring IEC were found. CC398 isolates from Belgian patients belonged to different subpopulations including typical HC and AC-isolates, as well as new emerging subpopulations that underline the ability of this lineage to acquire resistance and virulence genes. Further research is needed to evaluate the emergence of these subpopulations in the clinical setting.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our microbiologist colleagues for sending their staphylococci strains to the NRC.

Funding

This study was supported by internal funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Reference Centre—Staphylococcus aureus, Department of Microbiology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, 1070, Brussels, Belgium

    M. Angeles Argudín, A. Deplano, M. Dodémont, C. Nonhoff, O. Denis & S. Roisin

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    S. Vandendriessche

  3. Ecole de Santé Publique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

    O. Denis

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  1. M. Angeles Argudín
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  2. A. Deplano
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  3. S. Vandendriessche
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  4. M. Dodémont
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  5. C. Nonhoff
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  6. O. Denis
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Correspondence to M. Angeles Argudín.

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Argudín, M.A., Deplano, A., Vandendriessche, S. et al. CC398 Staphylococcus aureus subpopulations in Belgian patients. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 37, 911–916 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-018-3205-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-018-3205-y

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