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Unusual carriage of virulence genes sasX/sesI/shsA by nosocomial Staphylococcus haemolyticus from Brazil.

Ana C Silva-de-JesusCiro César RossiPaula Ma Pereira-RibeiroAna Luíza Mattos-GuaraldiMarcia Giambiagi-deMarval
Published in: Future microbiology (2023)
Background: Staphylococcus haemolyticus is an emerging threat in the nosocomial environment but only some virulence factors are known. Materials & methods: The frequency of the sasX gene (or orthologues sesI/shsA ), encoding an invasiveness-related surface-associated protein, in S. haemolyticus was detected in different hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. Results: 9.4% of strains were sasX/sesI/shsA -positive, some were in the context of the ΦSPβ-like prophage and devoid of CRISPR systems, indicating potential transferability of their virulence genes. Gene sequencing evidenced that Brazilian S. haemolyticus harbored sesI , instead of the usual sasX , while S. epidermidis had sasX instead of sesI , suggesting horizontal acquisition. Conclusion: The contexts of Brazilian sasX/sesI/shsA favor transfer, which is alarming given the difficulty in treating infections caused by S. haemolyticus .
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