Increase in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. colonization among pregnant individuals during COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 14961 - 7
• Main Authors: Rio-Tinto, A., Costa, N. S., Alvim, D. C. S. S., Oliveira, L. M. A., De Oliveira, T. L. R., Dos Santos, K. R. N., Fracalanzza, S. E. L., Teixeira, L. M., Marinho, P., Taylor, S., Thomas, S., Pinto, T. C. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 28.06.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/326/1320; 631/326/2522; Adult; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial agents; Antimicrobial resistance; Brazil - epidemiology; Colonization; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - virology; Disease transmission; Drug resistance; Female; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; MecA protein; Methicillin; Methicillin-resistant staphylococci; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; multidisciplinary; Multidrug resistance; Neonates; New combinations; Pandemics; Population studies; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - microbiology; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification; SCCmec typing; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus; Strains (organisms); Vagina - microbiology; Brazil; COVID-19; Pregnancy; typing; SCC; Antimicrobial resistance; Methicillin-resistant staphylococci; SCCmec typing
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64422-9

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) has been associated with neonatal infections, with colonization of the anovaginal tract being the main source of vertical transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the frequency of antibiotic usage, potentially contributing to changes in the dynamics of bacterial agents colonizing humans. Here we determined MRS colonization rates among pregnant individuals attending a single maternity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before (January 2019–March 2020) and during (May 2020–March 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Anovaginal samples (n = 806 [521 samples before and 285 during the pandemic]) were streaked onto chromogenic media. Colonies were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Detection of mecA gene and SCC mec typing were assessed by PCR and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done according to CLSI guidelines. After the onset of the pandemic, MRS colonization rates increased significantly ( p  < 0.05) from 8.6% (45) to 54.7% (156). Overall, 215 (26.6%) MRS isolates were detected, of which S. haemolyticus was the most prevalent species (MRSH, 84.2%; 181 isolates). SCC mec type V was the most frequent among MRS (63.3%; 136), and 31.6% (68) of MRS strains had a non-typeable SCC mec , due to new combinations of ccr and mecA complexes. Among MRS strains, 41.9% (90) were resistant to at least 3 different classes of antimicrobial agents, and 60% (54) of them were S. haemolyticus harboring SCC mec V. MRS colonization rates and the emergence of multidrug-resistant variants detected in this study indicate the need for continuing surveillance of this important pathogen within maternal and child populations.