Whole Genome Sequencing and Antimicrobial Resistance of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> from Surgical Site Infections in Ghana
Beverly Egyir,
Jeannette Bentum,
Naiki Attram,
Anne Fox,
Noah Obeng-Nkrumah,
Labi Appiah-Korang,
Eric Behene,
Selassie Kumordjie,
Clara Yeboah,
Bright Agbodzi,
Ronald Essah Bentil,
Rhodalyn Tagoe,
Blessing Kofi Adu Tabi,
Felicia Owusu,
Nicholas T. K. D. Dayie,
Eric S. Donkor,
Josephine Nsaful,
Kwaku Asah-Opoku,
Edward Nyarko,
Edward Asumanu,
Anders Rhod Larsen,
David M. Wolfe,
Andrew G. Letizia
Affiliations
Beverly Egyir
Bacteriology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Jeannette Bentum
Bacteriology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Naiki Attram
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Anne Fox
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Noah Obeng-Nkrumah
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Labi Appiah-Korang
Department of Microbiology, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana
Eric Behene
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Selassie Kumordjie
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Clara Yeboah
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Bright Agbodzi
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Ronald Essah Bentil
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Rhodalyn Tagoe
Bacteriology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Blessing Kofi Adu Tabi
Bacteriology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Felicia Owusu
Bacteriology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Nicholas T. K. D. Dayie
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Eric S. Donkor
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Josephine Nsaful
Department of Surgery, Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana
Kwaku Asah-Opoku
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ghana Medical School, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
Edward Nyarko
37 Military Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana
Edward Asumanu
37 Military Hospital, Accra 00233, Ghana
Anders Rhod Larsen
Statens Serum Institut, Department of Bacteria, Parasites and Fungi, Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Artillerivej 5, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
David M. Wolfe
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Andrew G. Letizia
Naval Medical Research Unit—Three, Ghana Detachment, Accra 00233, Ghana
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common cause of surgical site infections (SSIs) globally. Data on the occurrence of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) as well as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) among patients with surgical site infections (SSIs) in sub-Saharan African are scarce. We characterized S. aureus from SSIs in Ghana using molecular methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Wound swabs or aspirate samples were collected from subjects with SSIs. S. aureus 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 spa, mecA, and pvl 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 S. aureus 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 mecA gene-positive MRSA isolates detected belonged to ST152 (n = 3) and ST5 (n = 1). In total, 62% of the isolates were positive for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl) toxin gene. This study reports, for the first time, a pvl-positive ST152-t355 MRSA clone from SSIs in Ghana. The occurrence of multi-drug-resistant S. aureus epidemic clones suggests that continuous surveillance is required to monitor the spread and resistance trends of S. aureus in hospital settings in the country.
