Staphylococcus spp. and mecA gene in pregnant women: a neglected health risk to mother and child

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the phenotypic, molecular and epidemiological profile of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus spp. in pregnant women. Were included 100 asymptomatic pregnant women between 16 and 38 years old, who underwent microbiological examination by collecting a vaginal swab at the first trimester of pregnancy. The isolates were subjected to isolation, characterization, phenotypic and molecular tests were performed. Among the samples analyzed, were detected coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in 83%, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, 6% and Streptococcus spp. in 5%, and there was no bacterial growth in 6%. The antibiotics that showed the highest resistance were amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim (92.77%) in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and penicillin and sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim in coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (100%), where in the latter S. aureus was the species identified in 66.67% of the samples. As for the identification of the mecA gene in Staphylococcus spp. samples, this gene was detected in 40.5% of the samples of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, and it was not detected in the samples of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus. The epidemiological study showed that prior treatment with antibiotics was significantly (p≤0.016) associated with oxacillin resistance in vaginal swab samples. The presence of the mecA gene in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus isolates demonstrated a bacterial profile in this type of biological sample, different from what is already presented in the scientific literature. New studies are warranted to understand the epidemiology of the bacterial species involved and later to implement health education actions both in the target population and in health care professionals.