MRSA in Israel-genomic analysis, prevalence and global perspective.

BACKGROUND

MRSA is a major global healthcare problem. In 2011, a new variant designated was described, presenting partial identity at the DNA level, thus undetectable by routine PCR.

OBJECTIVES

Until now, no reliable information regarding MRSA prevalence was available in Israel. In this study, to the best of our knowledge, we describe the first case of MRSA in Israel, with focus on genomic analysis and global context.

METHODS

The MRSA isolate was analysed by WGS with focus on phylogeny, global contextualization, virulence and resistance genes. The strain was characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, typing and presence of and genes.

RESULTS

An MRSA strain (SA10610), isolated from a urine sample of an 83-year old patient, was found negative for the and genes. The MLST and type were ST130 and t1736, respectively. SA10610 presented resistance to oxacillin, penicillin and cefoxitin, and susceptibility to all non-β-lactam agents tested. Phylogenetic comparison with a global dataset of 586 MRSA genomes revealed substantial genomic divergence. The nearest genomic relatives were human and animal isolates from Denmark. A screen of 12 761 isolates collected during 2011-18 in Israel indicated this is the only -positive strain.

CONCLUSIONS

A high degree of genetic variability was found between the SA10610 strain and previously sequenced MRSA isolated worldwide. The genomic and phylogenetic analysis suggest that MRSA isolates have evolved independently rather than from a common ancestor.