Whole Genome Sequencing and Antimicrobial Resistance of from Surgical Site Infections in Ghana.

( is a common cause of surgical site infections (SSIs) globally. Data on the occurrence of methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) as well as methicillin-resistant (MRSA) among patients with surgical site infections (SSIs) in sub-Saharan African are scarce. We characterized from SSIs in Ghana using molecular methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Wound swabs or aspirate samples were collected from subjects with SSIs. was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS); AST was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion, and results were interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline. Detection of , and genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was done using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Samples were collected from 112 subjects, with 13 isolates recovered. Of these, 92% were sensitive to co-trimoxazole, 77% to clindamycin, and 54% to erythromycin. Multi-drug resistance was detected in 5 (38%) isolates. The four gene-positive MRSA isolates detected belonged to ST152 ( = 3) and ST5 ( = 1). In total, 62% of the isolates were positive for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin () toxin gene. This study reports, for the first time, a -positive ST152-t355 MRSA clone from SSIs in Ghana. The occurrence of multi-drug-resistant epidemic clones suggests that continuous surveillance is required to monitor the spread and resistance trends of in hospital settings in the country.