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Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Biosensor for Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Bacteria
Published on: May 8, 2013
Poor survival of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on inanimate objects in the public spaces
Hisanori Domon1, Yoshio Uehara1,2, Masataka Oda1
1Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Japan.
Abstract:
We investigated the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on shopping baskets in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Multilocus sequence typing was performed to determine the genotypes of S. aureus isolates, and then a polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect staphylococcal enterotoxins and antibiotic resistance genes. In addition, desiccation tolerance of S. aureus isolates was evaluated in vitro. Forty-six (6.2%) S. aureus isolates were collected from 740 shopping baskets, though only one MRSA strain was identified. In multilocus sequence typing findings, ten sequence types and 24 singletons were classified, which were divided into ten clonal complexes and six singletons. The most frequent staphylococcal enterotoxin gene was seg (30.4%). Our in vitro findings demonstrated that 70% of the S. aureus isolates, including the MRSA strain, became undetectable at 12 h after desiccation at an appropriate cell density, while the others remained viable for up to 24 h. Thus, it is difficult for MRSA organisms to survive on dry surfaces found in public areas. We speculated that inanimate objects in the community are unlikely to be a potential source for transmission of MRSA and that S. aureus on such objects outside of hospital settings is not a public health threat.
Insights
Staphylococcus aureus was found on shopping baskets, but MRSA survival is limited on dry surfaces. This suggests community shopping baskets are unlikely to transmit MRSA, posing no significant public health threat.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Public Health
- Environmental Hygiene
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), can colonize various surfaces.
- Understanding the prevalence and survival of S. aureus on frequently touched objects like shopping baskets is crucial for assessing public health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on shopping baskets in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
- To characterize the genetic diversity and identify virulence/resistance genes in S. aureus isolates.
- To evaluate the in vitro desiccation tolerance of S. aureus.
Main Methods:
- Sampling of shopping baskets for S. aureus isolation.
- Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for genotypic analysis.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting enterotoxin and antibiotic resistance genes.
- In vitro desiccation tolerance assays.
Main Results:
- 46 (6.2%) S. aureus isolates were recovered from 740 shopping baskets; only one MRSA strain was identified.
- MLST revealed ten sequence types, grouped into ten clonal complexes.
- The 'seg' gene was the most frequently detected staphylococcal enterotoxin gene (30.4%).
- 70% of S. aureus isolates, including the MRSA strain, were undetectable after 12 hours of desiccation; others survived up to 24 hours.
Conclusions:
- Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA, has limited survival on dry surfaces commonly found in public areas.
- Shopping baskets in the community are unlikely to be a significant source for MRSA transmission.
- S. aureus on inanimate objects outside healthcare settings does not appear to pose a substantial public health threat.
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