tst1-positive ST22-MRSA-IVa in healthy Italian preschool children

Abstract

A survey was performed in May 2013 to assess methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization in healthy children attending 26 municipal daycare centres in Palermo, Italy. Of the 500 children, ten (2 %) tested positive. Eight MRSA isolates were tst1-positive ST22-MRSA-IVa, spa t223; the other two isolates were identified as ST1-IVa and ST398-V, respectively. tst1-positive ST22-MRSA, spa t223 has been previously identified only in the Middle Eastern area.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Nasal Carriage ofStaphylococcus aureusand Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusAmong Patients Admitted to Two Healthcare Facilities in Algeria

“…2 This CC22-MRSA-IV ''Middle Eastern Variant'' has been also described in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, 17,26 and more recently, in newborns and preschool children in Palermo, Italy. 10,11 The detection of this clone in Algeria confirms its wide dissemination in the Mediterranean and Middle East area. Moreover, within the two strains of ST5-MRSA, one could be identified as belonging to the so-called pediatric clone, which is widespread across America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, but is apparently infrequent in Africa.…”

Nasal carriage of sequence type 22 MRSA and livestock-associated ST398 clones in Tangier, Morocco

“…Nevertheless, the susceptibility pattern of our clone (Table 2) does not match that of HA-EMRSA-15, whose isolates are uniformly resistant to ciprofloxacin and susceptible to co-trimoxazole and minocycline [26]. ST22-MRSA-IV strains could be a variant of UK-EMRSA-15 originating from ST22-MSSA spa t223 by means of local evolution, as suggested by Biber et al [23], knowing that the ST22-MRSA-IV strains observed in the present study showed traits similar to the predominant MRSA clone in the Gaza Strip [23] and to the one described in healthy Italian preschool children [22]. This clone mainly lacks exotoxin PVL, exhibits spa t223, and less often carries exotoxin gene tst.…”

“…It has been recently reported in healthy individuals (without associated healthcare risk factors) in Italy and the Middle East [22][23][24]. The origin of ST22-MRSA-IV strains circulating in the Tangier community could be HA-EMRSA-15 types, which are disseminated from hospitals to community environments, as several studies have indicated [6,25].…”

Molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from employees, children, and environmental surfaces in Iowa child daycare facilities

“…Interestingly, we also identified a spa t223 isolate, a type that has only been reported in the Middle East and in daycare centers in southern Italy. 36 Although the implications of this finding are unknown, it highlights the relative dearth of knowledge regarding the molecular epidemiology of S aureus outside health care environments.…”