ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1610739
This article is part of the Research TopicWomen in Infectious Agents and Disease: 2025View all articles
Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage before breast reconstruction: antibiotic resistance, biofilm and virulence genes - a single center in vitro observation
Provisionally accepted
Maria Szymankiewicz1*
Sylwia Jarzynka2
Anna Koryszewska-Bagińska2
Gabriela Oledzka2
Tomasz Nowikiewicz3Anna Szczepańska1- 1Department of Microbiology, prof. F. Lukaszczyk Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Pomeranian, Poland
- 2Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Masovian, Poland
- 3Department of Clinical Breast Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery, Prof. F. Łukaszczyk Oncology Centre,, Department of Surgical Oncology, Nicolaus Copernicus University Ludwik Rydygier's Collegium Medicum, Bydgoszcz, Pomeranian, Poland
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Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in patients undergoing mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction present significant therapeutic challenges. Studies suggest that S. aureus may be transmitted from nasal carriage, potentially leading to postoperative infections. However, knowledge regarding the potential pathogenicity of S. aureus nasal carriage strains in women undergoing breast reconstruction in Poland remains limited. The aim of this study was to characterize S. aureus isolates obtained from screening nasal swabs. A total of 33 methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) isolates were analyzed. These strains exhibited a high prevalence of genes encoding adhesion and antibiotic resistance. The most frequently detected virulence genes included sarA (100%), an activator of protein A; cna (100%), encoding collagen adhesin; blaZ (100%), associated with β-lactamase production; the icaADBC operon (82–100%), responsible for extracellular polysaccharide synthesis and intracellular adhesion; and bap (36%), encoding a surface-associated biofilm protein. The majority of isolates (79–100%) demonstrated a strong capacity for biofilm formation and exopolysaccharide production, confirmed by independent methods. Notably, all strains (100%) remained susceptible to ciprofloxacin at increased exposure levels. RAPD analysis revealed low genetic diversity among the isolates. Our findings indicate that S. aureus isolates from nasal carriers undergoing breast implantation exhibit antibiotic resistance, biofilm-forming ability, and harbor multiple virulence genes. Early detection of S. aureus colonization via nasal swab screening may be crucial for managing infection risk in patients undergoing breast reconstruction.
Keywords: Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), screening nasal swabs, Breast reconstruction, Adhesion genes, antibiotic-resistant genes, Virulence Factors, Biofilm formation, Exopolysaccharide production
Received: 14 Apr 2025; Accepted: 02 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Szymankiewicz, Jarzynka, Koryszewska-Bagińska, Oledzka, Nowikiewicz and Szczepańska. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Maria Szymankiewicz, Department of Microbiology, prof. F. Lukaszczyk Oncology Centre, Bydgoszcz, Pomeranian, Poland
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