1.Prospective surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) using spa typing to identify MRSA transmission in a tertiary care setting
Amelia S. ; Santosaningsih D. ; Kusumawati R.L. ; Hamid R.Z. ; Zulham ; Eyanoer P.C. ; Rozi M.F. ; Syamira N.A.
Tropical Biomedicine 2026;43(No. 2):174-179
The spa gene of Staphylococcus aureus encodes protein A, a key virulence factor contributing to molecular
typing. spa typing provides valuable information encoding diversity and transmission, particularly
for methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which remains a major public health concern. A one-year
prospective surveillance study was conducted involving S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) patients admitted
to Haji Adam Malik General Hospital, Medan, Indonesia. SAB isolates were phenotypically analysed for
cefoxitin resistance using the VITEK-2 system and genotypically characterised by PCR for the mecA and
spa genes. Spa typing of the X region was performed at Apical Scientific Laboratory (Selangor, Malaysia),
and clustering was analysed using the Based Upon Repeat Pattern (BURP) algorithm. A minimum spanning
tree (MST) was constructed with Ridom SeqSphere to assess genetic relatedness. Clinical outcomes were
compared between MRSA and MSSA clusters. A total of 120 SAB patients were included, equally divided
into MRSA and MSSA groups. The dominant spa types included t852 (12.5%), t5422 (9.2%), and t4171
(7.5%). In-hospital mortality was 28.3%, significantly higher in MRSA compared with MSSA (p-value 0.015,
OR 2.76). ICU admission occurred in 20.9% of cases. MRSA isolates predominantly clustered in a single
group (Cluster 1), consistent with clonal transmission, whereas MSSA isolates displayed greater genetic
heterogeneity across multiple clusters. This prospective surveillance highlights the clonal expansion of
MRSA within a tertiary care setting and supports the utility of spa typing as a practical molecular tool
for monitoring transmission and guiding infection control strategies.


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