Afeke Innocent, Adu-Amankwaah Joseph, Jamfaru Ibrahim, Hamid Abdul-Wahab Mawuko, Orish Verner Ndudiri, Agbodzi Bright, Amegan-Aho Kokou Hefoume, Ankrah Lennox Mac, Mbroh Hintermann Kobina, Mensah Graceful Lord, Ablordey Anthony Samuel
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
Department of Physiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Pan Afr Med J. 2025 Jun 27;51:59. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2025.51.59.45565. eCollection 2025.
coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) have emerged as significant pathogens in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), especially as a leading cause of neonatal sepsis. In low-income countries, efforts to prevent sepsis-related mortality are hampered by a lack of comprehensive molecular data on bacterial isolates responsible for these infections. This study aims to address this gap by generating whole-genome sequencing data, identifying novel multilocus sequence (MLS) types, and investigating antibiotic resistance genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus from the NICU of Ho Teaching Hospital in Ghana.
a total of 123 CoNS isolates were tested for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 13 antibiotics using VITEK2, and 16 isolates (7 S. epidermidis and 9 S. haemolyticus) were selected for further genomic analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted and sequenced using an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. Draft genome sequences were assembled using MEGAHIT and annotated with Prokka. MLS types were identified using the Center for Genomic Epidemiology´s MLST tool, and antibiotic resistance genes were detected via the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) and BlastArg-annot Nt tools.
draft genome sequences were established for 7 S. epidermidis and 9 S. haemolyticus isolates and deposited in public databases. Five novel MLST types were discovered: ST89, ST90, and ST91 for S. haemolyticus, and ST993 and ST994 for S. epidermidis. These novel strains exhibited multidrug resistance, with multiple antimicrobial resistance genes identified in their genomes. Three of the newly identified MLST types were isolated from the blood of neonates, while two others were found on the nasal mucosa of clinical staff and a baby cot.
our findings highlight the presence of multidrug-resistant and novel CoNS MLST types in the NICU, suggesting an urgent need for a nationwide database on CoNS MLST types circulating in Ghana. Such data would be critical for developing informed public health policies and strategies to manage neonatal sepsis in the Region.
凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌（CoNS）已成为新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）中的重要病原体，尤其是新生儿败血症的主要病因。在低收入国家，由于缺乏有关导致这些感染的细菌分离株的全面分子数据，预防败血症相关死亡率的努力受到阻碍。本研究旨在通过生成全基因组测序数据、鉴定新型多位点序列（MLS）类型以及研究加纳霍教学医院新生儿重症监护病房表皮葡萄球菌和溶血葡萄球菌中的抗生素耐药基因来填补这一空白。
使用VITEK2对总共123株CoNS分离株进行了13种抗生素的最低抑菌浓度（MIC）测试，并选择了16株分离株（7株表皮葡萄球菌和9株溶血葡萄球菌）进行进一步的基因组分析。提取基因组DNA并使用Illumina NovaSeq 6000平台进行测序。使用MEGAHIT组装草图基因组序列，并使用Prokka进行注释。使用基因组流行病学中心的MLST工具鉴定MLS类型，并通过综合抗生素耐药性数据库（CARD）和BlastArg-annot Nt工具检测抗生素耐药基因。
为7株表皮葡萄球菌和9株溶血葡萄球菌分离株建立了草图基因组序列，并保存在公共数据库中。发现了五种新型MLST类型：溶血葡萄球菌的ST89、ST90和ST91，以及表皮葡萄球菌的ST993和ST994。这些新型菌株表现出多重耐药性，在其基因组中鉴定出多个抗菌耐药基因。新鉴定的MLST类型中有三种是从新生儿血液中分离出来的，而另外两种则在临床工作人员的鼻粘膜和婴儿床上发现。
我们的研究结果突出了新生儿重症监护病房中存在多重耐药和新型CoNS MLST类型，这表明迫切需要建立一个关于加纳流行的CoNS MLST类型的全国性数据库。这些数据对于制定明智的公共卫生政策和策略以管理该地区的新生儿败血症至关重要。
