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Updated: May 11, 2026

Biosensor for Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Bacteria
Published on: May 8, 2013
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: an issue for veterinary hospitals
J L Allen1, L A Abraham, K Thompson
1Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia. jlallen@unimelb.edu.au
Objective:
To investigate the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from a cluster of clinical cases at a veterinary hospital by molecular epidemiological techniques.
Methods:
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, spa typing, multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were used to compare 16 isolates of MRSA. Four isolates were cultured from clinical cases thought to be involved in the cluster. A single isolate that was unrelated to the cluster and the remaining 10 isolates were obtained from nasal swabs submitted by staff and students during a subsequent survey of MRSA carriage.
Results:
Isolates from four clinical cases and an isolate obtained from a staff member were the same strain of MRSA. Some key risk factors associated with transmission of MRSA within veterinary hospitals were identified.
Conclusion:
The information provided by these techniques was invaluable in developing procedures and identifying risk factors to help reduce the effect of future outbreaks within veterinary hospitals.
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