Monitoring the Burden of Staphylococcus aureus: A Multi-Year Retrospective Study Using Routine Laboratory Data from a Slovak Hospital.

Background/Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of bacterial infection-related mortality worldwide, with outcomes complicated by antimicrobial resistance; asymptomatic colonization (~30% of the population) increases the risk of subsequent infection, often with the colonizing strain. Comprehensive data from LMICs are lacking, and the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced the incidence and epidemiology of S. aureus infections, highlighting a critical data gap in Slovakia. Methods: We conducted data analysis using the KNIME Analytics Platform (Zurich, Switzerland), an open-source, visual workflow environment that facilitates integration, preprocessing, and advanced analysis. This study analyzed 5 years of data from routine laboratory diagnostics extracted from the laboratory information system (LIS). Results: Our data reveals that the incidence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus, including MRSA, increased during 2020-2022-particularly in surgical departments, where MDR MRSA infection reached up to 12.5 per 1000 discharges-and remained elevated into the post-pandemic period (2023-2025). In contrast, MSSA incidence was consistently higher overall, with colonization rates reaching up to 71 per 1000 discharges in non-surgical departments, and was predominantly driven by colonization rather than infection. Conclusions: This study provides essential insights into the use of big data analytics platforms. Identified gaps, such as information about the difference between colonization vs. infection, and their implementation in the future, together with whole-genome sequencing, set a foundation for epidemiological research purposes in Slovakia.