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Genomic characterization of a unique Panton-Valentine leucocidin-positive community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage increasingly impacting on Australian indigenous communities
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Genomic characterization of a unique Panton-Valentine leucocidin-positive community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage increasingly impacting on Australian indigenous communities

Joshua P Ramsay, Nipuna Parahitiyawa, Shakeel Mowlaboccus, Christopher A Mullally, Nicholas W T Yee, Princy Shoby, Elena Colombi, Hui-Leen Tan, Julie C Pearson and Geoffrey W Coombs
Microbial genomics, Vol.9(12), 001172
2023
PMCID: PMC10763498
PMID: 38117559
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Published (Version of Record)CC BY V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

Australia Genomics Leukocidins - genetics Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics Western Australia
In 2010 a single isolate of a trimethoprim-resistant multilocus sequence type 5, Panton-Valentine leucocidin-positive, community-associated methicillin-resistant (PVL-positive ST5 CA-MRSA), colloquially named WA121, was identified in northern Western Australia (WA). WA121 now accounts for ~14 % of all WA MRSA infections. To gain an understanding of the genetic composition and phylogenomic structure of WA121 isolates we sequenced the genomes of 155 WA121 isolates collected 2010-2021 and present a detailed genomic description. WA121 was revealed to be a single clonally expanding lineage clearly distinct from sequenced ST5 strains reported outside Australia. WA121 strains were typified by the presence of the distinct PVL phage φSa2wa-st5, the recently described methicillin resistance element SCC IVo carrying the trimethoprim resistance ( ) transposon Tn , the novel β-lactamase transposon Tn and the epidermal cell differentiation inhibitor (EDIN-A) plasmid p2010-15611-2. We present evidence that SCC IVo together with Tn has horizontally transferred to and evidence of intragenomic movement of both Tn and Tn . We experimentally demonstrate that p2010-15611-2 is capable of horizontal transfer by conjugative mobilization from one of several WA121 isolates also harbouring a pWBG749-like conjugative plasmid. In summary, WA121 is a distinct and clonally expanding Australian PVL-positive CA-MRSA lineage that is increasingly responsible for infections in indigenous communities in northern and western Australia. WA121 harbours a unique complement of mobile genetic elements and is capable of transferring antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants to other staphylococci.

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