Emergence of a genetically distinct, multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus capitis clone (NRCS-A) present in neonatal intensive care units has recently been extensively reported. The aims of the present study were to investigate which clones of S. capitis isolated from blood in a Swedish neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) have been present since 1987 and to investigate whether the NRCS-A clone has disseminated in Sweden. All S. capitis isolates from blood cultures of neonates (≤ 28 days of age) between 1987 and 2017 (n = 46) were whole-genome sequenced, and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) was performed. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based phylogenetic relationships between the S. capitis isolates and in silico predictions of presence of genetic traits specific to the NRCS-A clone were identified. Furthermore, antibiotic susceptibility testing, including screening for heterogeneous glycopeptide-intermediate resistance, was performed. Thirty-five isolates clustered closely to the isolates previously determined as belonging to the NRCS-A clone and had fewer than 81 core genome loci differences out of 1063. Twenty-one of these isolates were multidrug resistant. The NRCS-A clone was found in 2001. Six pairs of isolates had differences of fewer than two SNPs. Genetic traits associated with the NRCS-A clone such as nsr, ebh, tarJ, and CRISPR were found in all 35 isolates. The increasing incidence of S. capitis blood cultures of neonates is predominantly represented by the NRSC-A clone at our NICU in Sweden. Furthermore, there were indications of transmission between cases; adherence to basic hygiene procedures and surveillance measures are thus warranted.
Keywords: Coagulase negative staphylococci; NRCS-A clone; Neonatal intensive care unit; S. capitis; Whole-genome sequencing.