AMB Volume 41, Issue 1, 2025 Pages 19-28 https://doi.org/10.59393/amb25410104
Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus Haemolyticus isolates and Their Virulence Factors in Urinary Tract Infections in Saudi Arabia
Alami O.T., Neyaz L.A., Albarakaty F.M., Malak H.A., Al-Tuwaijri M.M., Elbanna K., Abulreesh H.H.
Staphylococcus haemolyticus is an emerging multidrug-resistant infectious agent in Saudi Arabian clinical settings. During this study, urine specimens (1000) of hospitalized and outpatients were screened for S. haemolyticus prevalence along with antimicrobial resistance profiles and virulence factors. The primary identification of S. haemolyticus was based on morphological characteristics and clumping factors test. The presumptive isolates were further confirmed through VITEK MALDI-TOF. S. haemolyticus antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were examined by the Vitek® 2 compact system whereas antibiotic-resistance and virulence factors-related genes were detected using PCR. A total of 21 (2.1 %) S. haemolyticus isolates were recovered from urine samples where 15 isolates (71.5 %) exhibited multidrug resistance patterns. The results showed that 13 (62 %) isolates were resistant to oxacillin whereas none of the isolates were resistant to vancomycin, linezolid, and rifampicin. Methicillin-resistance encoding gene (mecA) was detected in 61.9% of isolates. However, resistance genes related to vancomycin (vanA), fluoroquinolones (gyrA), macrolides (ermA), and aminoglycosides (aph(3’)-IIIa) were not detected in S. haemolyticus isolates. Biofilm formation-associated icaD gene was detected in 33.3% of isolates, Panton-Valentine leucocidin encoding lukS-PV gene in 9.5% of isolates, and fibronectin-binding protein A encoding fnbA gene in 8% of isolates. This study highlights the rising S. haemolyticus trends in Saudi Arabia, which requires further in-depth investigation for a better understanding of this pathogen.
Keywords: Staphylococcus haemolyticus, urinary tract infections, antimicrobial resistance, virulence factors
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