Genome-based surveillance reveals cross-transmission of MRSA ST59 between humans and retail livestock products in Hanzhong, China

Wei Zhang; Xueshuo Wang; Linna Zhao; Yihai Gu; Yiwen Chen; Na Liu; Lin An; Li Bai; Yanjiong Chen; Shenghui Cui

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1392134

Genome-based surveillance reveals cross-transmission of MRSA ST59 between humans and retail livestock products in Hanzhong, China

Front Microbiol. 2024 Apr 29:15:1392134. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1392134. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wei Zhang^{1

2

3}, Xueshuo Wang³, Linna Zhao³, Yihai Gu², Yiwen Chen³, Na Liu³, Lin An³, Li Bai⁴, Yanjiong Chen¹, Shenghui Cui³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Immunology and Pathogenic Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.
² 3201 Hospital, Hanzhong, China.
³ National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing, China.
⁴ China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been recognized in hospitals, community and livestock animals and the epidemiology of MRSA is undergoing a major evolution among humans and animals in the last decade. This study investigated the prevalence of MRSA isolates from ground pork, retail whole chicken, and patient samples in Hanzhong, China. The further characterization was performed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and in-depth genome-based analysis to identify the resistant determinants and their phylogenetic relationship. A total of 93 MRSA isolates were recovered from patients (n = 67) and retail livestock products (n = 26) in Hanzhong, China. 83.9% (78/93) MRSA isolates showed multiple drug resistant phenotype. Three dominant livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) sequence types were identified: ST59-t437 (n = 47), ST9-t899 (n = 10) and ST398 (n = 7). There was a wide variation among sequence types in the distribution of tetracycline-resistance, scn-negative livestock markers and virulence genes. A previous major human MRSA ST59 became the predominant interspecies MRSA sequence type among humans and retail livestock products. A few LA-MRSA isolates from patients and livestock products showed close genetic similarity. The spreading of MRSA ST59 among livestock products deserving special attention and active surveillance should be enacted for the further epidemic spread of MRSA ST59 in China. Data generated from this study will contribute to formulation of new strategies for combating spread of MRSA.

Keywords: ST398; ST59; ST9; interspecies transmission; livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2022YFF1100704) and the Science and Technology Department of Shaanxi Province (2024SF-YBXM-279).