Characterization of canine and feline methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) from Thailand

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) in small animal practice are very difficult to treat due to multi-resistance. In contrast to other countries, little is known about MRSP from Thailand. In particular, information on feline MRSP isolates in general is rare. In total, 39 MRSP isolates from dogs (n=28) and cats (n=11) from Thailand collected from independent clinical cases were used. Oxacillin resistance and presence of the mecA gene was confirmed. Susceptibility to additional 29 antimicrobial agents was tested according to CLSI recommendations. Antimicrobial resistance genes were detected by PCR assays. Molecular typing comprised spa typing, dru typing and macrorestriction analysis with subsequent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). For selected isolates, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed. All isolates were multi-resistant with resistance to at least six classes of antimicrobial agents. In all cases corresponding resistance genes were detected. In addition to mecA, the genes blaZ, cat_pC221, aacA/aphD, erm(B), dfrG, tet(M) and tet(K) were identified. Six spa types (t02, t05, t09, t10, t23, t72), eleven dru types (dt8ak, dt10ao, dt10cp, dt10cq, dt11a, dt11bo, dt11cb, dt11cj, dt11v, dt11y, dt11z) and 27 PFGE types (designated as A1-A10, B1-B8, C1-C2, D, E, F, G, H, I, J) were identified. MLST for one isolate of each main PFGE pattern A-J revealed seven types [ST45 (n=3), ST112, ST155, ST282 and the novel types ST432, ST433 (n=2) and ST434]. This study showed that MRSP isolates from clinical cases in individual dogs and cats in Thailand are multi-resistant with similar resistance genes and characteristics as isolates from Europe and North America.