Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterizations of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on Frequently Touched Sites from Public Hospitals in South Africa

The hospital environment acts as a reservoir in the transmission of pathogens, such as MRSA, which may cause hospital-acquired infections. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence, genetic relatedness, antibiotic resistance, and virulence profile of MRSA on some frequently touched hospital sites in South Africa. A total of 777 swabs were randomly collected from 11 frequently touched sites in the hospital environment of three wards of four public hospitals in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Isolation of S. aureus and confirmation were done using genotypic and phenotypic methods. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby–Bauer disk-diffusion method. MRSA isolates were determined by the presence of the mecA gene. Virulence and resistance genes were detected using a standard monoplex PCR assay. ERIC-PCR was conducted to evaluate the genetic relatedness. An overall prevalence of 12.7% for S. aureus isolates was obtained. Out of these, 89.9% (89/99) were confirmed to be MRSA. The sites with the highest prevalence were the occupied beds (16.2% (16/99)), unoccupied beds (16.2% (16/99)), patient files (14.1% (14/99)), ward phones (13.1% (13/99)), and nurses' tables (14.1% (14/99)). The virulence genes with the highest observed frequency were hld (87 (87.9%)) and LukS/F-PV (53 (53.5%)). The resistance genes with the highest frequency were the tetM and tetK genes detected in 60 (60.6%) and 57 (57.6%) isolates, respectively. The ERIC-PCR results obtained indicated a high level of genetic diversity; however, intraclonal (within a hospital) and interclonal (between hospitals) clusters of MRSA were observed. The study showed that MRSA can contaminate various surfaces, and this persistence allows for the dissemination of bacteria within the hospital environment. This highlights the need for improved infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies in public hospitals in the country to curb their potential transmission risks.