Staphylococcus aureus ST398 from slaughter pigs in northeast China
Xiaomei Yan1, Xiaojie Yu2, Xiaoxia Tao1
1State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
International Journal of Medical Microbiology : IJMM
|January 15, 2014
Summary
Pigs in China are frequently colonized by Staphylococcus aureus, particularly ST398 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). High rates of antibiotic resistance in both MSSA and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) pose a public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Antimicrobial Resistance
- Food Safety
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a significant pathogen in livestock and a potential zoonotic agent.
- Understanding the prevalence and genetic diversity of S. aureus in food animals is crucial for public health surveillance.
- Pigs can act as reservoirs for S. aureus, including strains with antimicrobial resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and population structure of Staphylococcus aureus colonizing pigs at slaughterhouses in northeastern China.
- To characterize the antimicrobial resistance profiles and identify specific genetic markers of S. aureus isolates.
- To assess the public health implications of S. aureus colonization in pigs.
Main Methods:
- Nose swabs were collected from 590 pigs in two slaughterhouses in Harbin, China.
- S. aureus isolates were characterized using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing, and SCCmec typing.
- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and pvl gene detection were performed.
Main Results:
- A total of 200 S. aureus isolates were recovered (33.9% prevalence).
- Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) accounted for 81% of isolates, with ST398 being the dominant type (61.1% of MSSA).
- Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) constituted 19% of isolates, all belonging to ST9.
- High levels of multidrug resistance were observed in both MSSA and MRSA isolates, with a novel resistance determinant, lsa(E), identified.
Conclusions:
- Pigs in northeast China are frequently colonized by ST398 MSSA.
- MRSA strains typically associated with pigs in Europe were not detected.
- The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus (both MSSA and MRSA) in pigs is a significant public health concern.
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