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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus by Ribosomal Spacer PCR RS-PCR
Published on: November 4, 2016
First description of PVL-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in wild boar meat
Britta Kraushaar1, Alexandra Fetsch1
1National Reference Laboratory for Coagulase-positive Staphylococci incl. Staphylococcus aureus, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, 12277 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
Staphylococcus aureus is an important food-borne pathogen due to the ability of enterotoxigenic strains to produce staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in food. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is also an important pathogen for humans, causing severe and hard to treat diseases in hospitals and in the community due to its multiresistance against antimicrobials. In particular, strains harbouring genes encoding for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin are of concern from a public health perspective as they are usually capable of causing severe skin and soft tissue infections (sSSTIs) and occasionally necrotizing pneumonia which is associated with high mortality. This is the first report on the detection of MRSA with genes encoding for PVL in wild boar meat. Among the 28 MRSA isolated from wild boar meat in the course of a national monitoring programme in Germany, seven harboured PVL-encoding genes. Six of the isolates were identical according to the results of spa-, MLST-, microarray- and PFGE-typing. They could be assigned to the epidemic MRSA clone USA300. Epidemiological investigations revealed that people handling the food were the most likely common source of contamination with these MRSA. These findings call again for suitable hygienic measures at all processing steps of the food production chain. The results of the study underline that monitoring along the food chain is essential to closely characterise the total burden of MRSA for public health.
Insights
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes were found in German wild boar meat. These findings highlight the need for food chain monitoring and hygienic practices to prevent MRSA transmission.
Area of Science:
- Food safety
- Microbiology
- Public health
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a significant foodborne pathogen, with enterotoxigenic strains producing staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs).
- Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) causes severe, difficult-to-treat infections due to antimicrobial resistance.
- PVL-producing MRSA strains are a public health concern, linked to severe skin infections and high-mortality pneumonia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the first detection of MRSA harboring Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes in wild boar meat.
- To characterize the identified MRSA strains and investigate potential sources of contamination.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and identification of MRSA from wild boar meat samples.
- Molecular typing including spa-, MLST-, microarray-, and PFGE-typing.
- Epidemiological investigation to determine contamination sources.
Main Results:
- Twenty-eight MRSA strains were isolated from wild boar meat.
- Seven of these isolates carried PVL-encoding genes.
- Six PVL-positive MRSA isolates were identified as the epidemic clone USA300, suggesting food handlers as a likely contamination source.
Conclusions:
- The presence of PVL-positive MRSA, including the USA300 clone, in wild boar meat poses a public health risk.
- Effective hygienic measures throughout the food production chain are crucial.
- Continuous monitoring of the food chain is essential for assessing and managing MRSA burden.
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