High prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus haemolyticus isolated from commensals in healthy adults

• Published in: Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Main Author: Azharollah F.H.; Abdullah M.F.F.; Nawi S.F.A.M.; Abdul-Aziz A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2021
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85100084585&partnerID=40&md5=062a7817c8bb4f64d91d9949dc320cbb

Introduction: S. haemolyticus is known to be commensals residing on human skin. However, their ability to develop as pathogens among the healthy community has becoming increasingly vital. Methods: In this study, a total of 49 non-duplicated samples of S. haemolyticus was isolated from the skin of healthy adults and confirmed via sodA gene sequencing method. Cefoxitin (30μg) disc diffusion test was performed to determine methicillin resistance among the S. haemolyticus isolates. The isolates were then subjected to mecA amplification and Staphylococcus Cassette Chromosome (SCCmec) typing of I, II, III, IV and V. Results: Interestingly, 59.2% of the S. haemolyticus commensal isolates were found to be methicillin-resistant (MRSH) while the remaining 40.8% was methicillin-sensitive (MSSH). Amplification of mecA gene showed that 43 isolates (87.8%) were positive while only six isolates were negative for the gene. A majority of the positive mecA isolates (90.7%) were discovered to harbour SCCmec Type II while the remaining 44.2% were Type V followed by 23.3% of Type I and 18.6% of Type IV. Only one of the isolates was found to be SCCmec Type III while another isolate, T187 was non-typeable. Conclusion: The data indicates the acquisition of SCCmec typing circulated among the commensal strains which could be a potential route of pathogenicity among the isolates. © 2021 UPM Press. All rights reserved.