Abstract
Background
In blood cultures that test positive for staphylococcal bacteria, rapid identification
of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) by molecular assay is useful for appropriate antimicrobial treatment of bloodstream
infections. Although the Xpert MRSA/SA BC assay is widely available in clinical settings
in Japan, its efficacy has not yet evaluated thoroughly.
Methods
We retrospectively studied 100 blood culture cases positive for S. aureus at Sapporo Medical University Hospital between March 2019 and May 2022. Cycle threshold
(CT) values for target genes from the Xpert MRSA/SA BC assay were compared to phenotypic
results. Genotyping and genetic analysis of the orfX-SCCmec junction region was performed for selected isolates.
Results
We analyzed 25 and 75 isolates assigned to MRSA and MSSA, respectively, using the
Xpert MRSA/SA BC assay. Of these, 99 isolates from agar cultures showed compatible
susceptibility to oxacillin. One genetically misidentified case of MRSA was found
to be caused by the mixed growth of MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. hominis on agar culture. Of the 73 MSSA with pure growth on agar culture, 45 (61.6%) were
found to be orfX-SCCmec-positive, spa-positive, and mecA-negative in this assay. These MSSA belong to diverse spa and coa types.
Conclusion
The Xpert MRSA/SA BC assay accurately identified MRSA and MSSA in positive blood cultures.
However, over half of the MSSA isolates showed positive results for orfX-SCCmec, presumably due to genetic diversity in the orfX-associated region of MSSA. Therefore, the coexistence of MSSA and mecA-harboring coagulase-negative staphylococci may cause confusion about identification
of MRSA.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 20, 2023
Accepted:
May 2,
2023
Received in revised form:
April 23,
2023
Received:
March 1,
2023
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
