Emergence and clonal expansion of a qacA-harbouring sequence type 45 lineage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: The past decade has seen an increase in the prevalence of sequence type (ST) 45 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), yet the underlying drivers for its emergence and spread remain unclear. To better understand the worldwide dissemination of ST45 S. aureus, we performed phylogenetic analyses of Australian isolates, supplemented with a global population of ST45 S. aureus genomes. Our analyses revealed a distinct lineage of multidrug-resistant ST45 MRSA harbouring qacA, predominantly found in Australia and Singapore. Bayesian inference predicted that the acquisition of qacA occurred in the late 1990s. qacA was integrated into a structurally variable region of the chromosome containing Tn552 (carrying blaZ) and Tn4001 (carrying aac(6')-aph(2")) transposable elements. Using mutag

SUBMITTER: Nong Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10957945 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature