Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control · Published 2026-05-30 · DOI 10.1186/s13756-026-01756-1
Serena Slavenburg, Dennis Souverein, Sandra Witteveen, Esther de Vries, Angela de Haan, Annelot F. Schoffelen, Daan W. Notermans, Bjorn L. Herpers, Antoni P. A. Hendrickx
Abstract Background Staphylococcus argenteus belongs to the Staphylococcus aureus complex and causes similar disease. Methicillin-resistant S. argenteus (MRSArg) is rare in the Netherlands. We describe the first hospital outbreak and its management. Methods After a healthcare worker linked to a patient with MRSArg bacteremia tested positive, cohort screening of healthcare workers, patients, and family members was performed. Carriers received eradication therapy. Whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were used to characterize isolates and mupirocin resistance. Results Fifteen (2.6%) MRSArg carriers were detected: 9/317 (2.8%) healthcare workers, 4/238 (1.7%) patients, 2/16 (12.5%) family members; age range 22–88 years, median 55 years. Nine (60%) were complicated and six (40%) uncomplicated carriers. After transfer of one initially negative patient to a nursing home, subsequent positivity led to two carriers among nursing home staff. wgMLST confirmed a single outbreak cluster of 15 isolates, all MLST ST2250. The isolates carried mecA, dfrG, and blaZ, but not PVL. Eradication therapy was started in 13/15 (86.7%) persons, with 84.6% (11/13) successful eradication. Six isolates carried a V588F-mutated ileS gene and had mupirocin MICs of 2–32 mg/L; nine were sensitive. Conclusions We report the first successfully controlled MRSArg hospital outbreak in the Netherlands. The outbreak strain was clonally related and showed low-level mupirocin resistance linked to a mutated ileS gene. This work supports the importance of infection prevention and control measures that are applied for MRSA are also effective for MRSArg.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Slavenburg, S., Souverein, D., Witteveen, S., et al. (2026). Control of a hospital outbreak with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus argenteus in The Netherlands, June–September 2023. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-026-01756-1