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Streptococcal Infections and Treatments · Journal article
Frontiers in Microbiology · August 12, 2026
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This cross-sectional study documents the molecular epidemiology of MRSA in Tibet, identifying CC59-ST59-SCCmec IV-t437 as the dominant clone (59.4% of CA-MRSA, 39.2% of HA-MRSA) with a nasal colonization rate of 10.53%. Whole-genome analysis reveals a genetically distinct Tibetan MRSA cluster with evidence of clonal transmission within households and hospitals, though the findings are descriptive and require validation in larger, multi-center cohorts.
Cross-sectional molecular epidemiology study with whole-genome sequencing. Tibetan hospitalized patients and family members; CA-MRSA from nasal swabs collected within 24 h of hospital admission (to exclude nosocomial acquisition) and from family members; HA-MRSA from clinical infections in the same population.. Intervention: None; observational characterization.. n = 115. Single centre in Tibet; exact location not specified in abstract..
MRSA nasal colonization rate was 10.53% among hospitalized patients and family members CC59-ST59-SCCmec IV-t437 predominated: 59.4% of CA-MRSA (n=64) and 39.2% of HA-MRSA (n=51) Seven CA-MRSA transmission clusters identified with ≤25 cgSNP differences, epidemiologically linked to households or hospital exposure
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Clinicians in Tibet should be aware of the dominant CC59-ST59-SCCmec IV-t437 clone and the high prevalence of clonal overlap between hospital and community MRSA. All isolates remained susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid, supporting their continued use for empirical therapy in this region, though molecular surveillance is needed to detect resistance emergence.
Single-center molecular epidemiology study with WGS characterization of MRSA in a specific population; descriptive findings without a comparator or intervention, providing baseline surveillance data requiring confirmation in larger cohorts.
As stated by the source record.
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Clinicians in Tibet should be aware of the dominant CC59-ST59-SCCmec IV-t437 clone and the high prevalence of clonal overlap between hospital and community MRSA. All isolates remained susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid, supporting their continued use for empirical therapy in this region, though molecular surveillance is needed to detect resistance emergence.
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Objectives Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a serious public health burden in Tibet, where genome-informed epidemiological data remain limited. This study aimed to characterize the molecular epidemiology of MRSA among Tibetans and explore factors associated with its elevated prevalence. Methods We analyzed 115 non-duplicate MRSA isolates from Tibetans, comprising 51 hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) from clinical infections and 64 community-colonizing MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA isolates were obtained from nasal swabs of hospitalized patients within 24 h of admission (to exclude nosocomial acquisition) and from their family members between June and December 2023. All isolates underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based typing [sequence type (ST), spa, SCCmec ]. We performed core-genome single nucleotide polymorphism (cgSNP) phylogeny and profiled resistance and virulence determinants. Results The MRSA nasal colonization rate was 10.53%. The clone CC59-ST59-SCC mec IV-t437 predominated, accounting for 59.4% of CA-MRSA and 39.2% of HA-MRSA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a distinct Tibetan MRSA cluster with limited genetic relatedness to strains from other Chinese provinces. cgSNP analysis identified seven CA-MRSA transmission clusters defined by ≤25 cgSNP differences, approximating the ≤25 wgSNP threshold. a finding corroborated by epidemiological links to shared households or hospital exposure. While ST59 conserved core virulence determinants (capsule biosynthesis, iron acquisition), ST22 uniquely harbored the egc cluster and was uniformly positive for the lukS-PV/lukF-PV loci. No significant virulence differences were observed between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA within the same ST. All isolates remained susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid, exhibiting concordant resistance profiles across both settings. Conclusion CC59-ST59-SCC mec IV-t437 is the predominant MRSA lineage in Tibet and shows substantial clonal overlap between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA. These results support the use of whole-genome sequencing to guide empirical therapy and highlight the need for continued surveillance and targeted infection control in this high-burden region.
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