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Updated: May 10, 2026

Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus by Ribosomal Spacer PCR (RS-PCR)
Published on: November 4, 2016
Highly divergent Staphylococcus aureus isolates from African non-human primates
F Schaumburg1, A S Alabi, R Köck
1Institutes of Medical Microbiology Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany. Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon. Institute of Tropical Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. Research Group Emerging Zoonoses, Robert-Koch-Institut, Berlin, Germany.
This study characterized Staphylococcus aureus from African wildlife, finding distinct bacterial groups. Some strains resembled human-associated types, while others were novel, offering insights into animal-to-human pathogen transmission.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genomics
- Veterinary Science
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a significant pathogen in humans and animals.
- Limited data exists on the characteristics of S. aureus in sub-Saharan African wildlife.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize S. aureus isolates from African wildlife.
- To compare wildlife S. aureus strains with human-associated strains.
Main Methods:
- Phenotypic and molecular characterization of S. aureus isolates.
- Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for phylogenetic analysis.
Main Results:
- Low penicillin resistance (2.9%) observed in non-human primate isolates.
- Phylogenetic analysis revealed two divergent S. aureus clades.
- One clade contained human-related sequence types (STs) primarily from great apes; the second clade comprised novel STs mainly from monkeys.
Conclusions:
- Wildlife S. aureus in Africa exhibits genetic diversity, with distinct clades.
- Findings suggest potential for inter- and intra-species transmission of S. aureus within Africa.
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