| Mastitis is a common disease in lactating goats that widespread throughout the world. This study aims to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in clinical and subclinical mastitis in does, and to identify the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated bacteria. A total of 145 milk samples were collected from different farms located around Besut and Setiu districts, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. All does were screened for subclinical mastitis using the California Mastitis Test. Signs of clinical mastitis were recorded. The milk samples were inoculated on Mannitol salt agar, blood agar and Eosin-Methylene Blue agar. The isolated bacterial colonies were subjected to Gram's staining and biochemical tests (catalase, coagulase, oxidase, triple sugar iron and Christie, Atkins, and Munch-Peterson tests) for identification. The susceptibility of S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and E. coli to the antibiotic was tested using disc diffusion assay. The prevalence of clinical and subclinical mastitis was 23% (34/145) and 40% (58/145) respectively. The bacteriological examinations revealed that 15/92 (16.3%), 6/92 (6.5%) and 1/92 (1.1%) of the mastitis samples were positive for S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and E. coli respectively. Overall resistance levels were very low except for S. aureus towards penicillin (22%) and tetracycline (11%) and for S. agalactiae towards penicillin (33.3%). In conclusion, S. aureus was the most frequently isolated organisms from the caprine mastitis followed by S. agalactiae and E. coli in the study area.

The emergence of antimicrobial drug resistant bacteria has been a concern worldwide. One of bacteria that has been reported to develop resistance is Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Recent studies showed that Livestock Associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) was found in domestic food animals and their handlers. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MRSA in goat milk of goat farms located in Terengganu. A total of 664 udder milks were taken from 332 goats at 40 selected farms within Terengganu state. Then, screening of bacteria and isolation of suspected S. aureus isolates in the milk samples was done using selective agar, Gram staining and biochemical tests. The identity of the bacteria isolated was further confirmed using PCR where specific designed primers were used to detect the presence of nuc gene of S. aureus (278bp) and mecA gene (533bp) of MRSA. Both S. aureus and MRSA isolates were also tested for their susceptibilities toward the antimicrobial drugs. Fifty milk samples were found to contain S. aureus and one of the S. aureus isolates were MRSA. The bacteria isolates were found to have higher tendency to be resistance toward Penicillin (26.0%) and Oxacillin (12.0%). This study provides useful data on the current status of MRSA prevalence in small ruminant's milk, which can be used to prevent transmission of LA-MRSA to human and other animals.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in humans and animals, have become a significant concern globally. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiogram of S. aureus isolated from animal handlers in Peninsular Malaysia. Furthermore, the genotypic characteristics of S. aureus isolates were also investigated. Nasal and oral swab samples were collected from 423 animal handlers in Peninsular Malaysia. The antibiogram profiles of S. aureus against 18 antibiotics were established using a Kirby–Bauer test. The genotypic profile of S. aureus, including the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), virulence genes and spa genotypes, was investigated using molecular techniques. The overall carriage rate of S. aureus, MRSA and MDRSA was 30.5%, 1.2% and 19.4%, respectively. S. aureus was highly resistant against penicillin (72.3%) and amoxicillin (52.3%). Meanwhile, gentamicin and linezolid were fully effective against all the isolated S. aureus from animal handlers. It was observed that animal handlers with close exposure to poultry were more likely to carry S. aureus that is resistant to tetracycline and erythromycin. S. aureus isolates harboured tetracycline resistance (tetK, tetL and tetM), erythromycin resistance (ermA, ermB, ermC and msrA) and immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes (scn, chp, sak, sea and sep). Seventeen different spa types were detected among the 30 isolates of MDRSA, with t189 (16.7%) and t4171 (16.7%) being the predominant spa type, suggesting wide genetic diversity of the MDRSA isolates. The present study demonstrated the prevalence of S. aureus strains, including MRSA and MDRSA with various antimicrobial resistance and genetic profiles from animal handlers in Peninsular Malaysia.

The emergence of multidrug-resistance Enterobacteriaceae such as extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) and carbapenem-resistant E. coli (CREC) has become an urgent veterinary and public health threat. These multidrug-resistant microorganisms are frequently associated with diseases that have high mortality with limited treatment options. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of ESBL producing E. coli and CREC from the rabbit, swine, and poultry and to determine the antibiogram profile of these E. coli isolates. In this study, 400 fecal swab samples were collected from rabbits, swine, and poultry from several selected animal farms in Malaysia. After incubation and isolation processes, suspected E. coli isolates were subjected to a PCR test to confirm the identity of the bacteria. The antibiogram of the E. coli isolates was determined via the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. A total of 212 (53%) E. coli isolates were isolated from rabbits (51 isolates), poultry (110 isolates), and swine (51 isolates). Screening of antimicrobial resistance genes revealed twelve ESBL producing E. coli (3%; 12/400). Two ESBL producing E. coli were also carrying carbapenemase gene (Bla NDM ), indicating ESBL producing and carbapenem-resistant E. coli (ESBL-CREC) in poultry fecal swab samples. The bacteria isolates were found to show resistance against nine antibiotics, including ertapenem, ampicillin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate. A total of 3.3% (7/212) of the E. coli isolates were found to be multidrug-resistance. This study demonstrated the presence of ESBL-producing E. coli and ESBL-producing CREC from poultry fecal swabs in Malaysia.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence and antibiogram of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistance S. aureus (MRSA) in rabbits, rabbit handlers, and rabbitry environments in Terengganu. Materials and Methods: Swab samples from 183 rabbits (183 oral and 183 ear swabs), 45 rabbit handlers (45 oral and 45 nasal), and environmental ( n = 180) samples from rabbitries were collected from 10 rabbit farms in Terengganu. The associated S. aureus isolates from the swabs were isolated using phenotypic microbiology tests. The bacteria were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction targeting nuc ( S. aureus ) and mecA (MRSA) genes. The antibiogram of all S. aureus isolates was determined using the Kirby–Bauer test. Results: Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 19% of rabbits, 26.7% of rabbit handlers, and 8.8% of swabs from the rabbitry environment. However, MRSA (0%) could not be detected. Antibiotic susceptibility test revealed that S. aureus from rabbits showed low resistance (<20%) against 15 different antibiotics while fully susceptible to 4 antibiotics. Meanwhile, S. aureus from rabbit handlers showed high resistance against penicillin (86%), oxacillin (64%), and amoxicillin (50%). Conclusions: This study suggests the emergence of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus in rabbit farms settings. Therefore, careful selection of antimicrobial agents will be essential to preserve the effectiveness of treatments toward S. aureus infections.