ORCID

0000-0002-8991-1737 (Pant)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

DOI

10.3390/pathogens13010025

Publication Title

Pathogens

Volume

13

Issue

1

Pages

25 (1-17 pp.)

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen with a formidable propensity for antibiotic resistance. Worldwide, it is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and infective endocarditis originating from both community- and healthcare associated settings. Although often grouped by methicillin resistance, both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) strains are known to cause significant pathologies and injuries. Virulence factors and growing resistance to antibiotics play major roles in the pathogenicity of community-associated strains. In our study, we examined the genetic variability and acquired antibiograms of 122 S. aureus clinical isolates from SSTI, blood, and urinary tract infections originating from pediatric patients within the southeast region of Virginia, USA. We identified a suite of clinically relevant virulence factors and evaluated their prevalence within these isolates. Five genes (clfA, spA, sbi, scpA, and vwb) with immune-evasive functions were identified in all isolates. MRSA isolates had a greater propensity to be resistant to more antibiotics as well as significantly more likely to carry several virulence factors compared to MSSA strains. Further, the carriage of various genes was found to vary significantly based on the infection type (SSTI, blood, urine).

Comments

© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Original Publication Citation

Cranmer, K. D., Pant, M. D., Quesnel, S., & Sharp, J. A. (2023). Clonal diversity, antibiotic resistance, and virulence factor prevalence of community associated Staphylococcus aureus in southeastern Virginia. Pathogens 2024, 13(1), Article 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010025

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