Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: A Food-Borne Pathogen?

Abstract

Prior to the 1990s, most methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was hospital-associated (HA-MRSA); community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) then began to cause infections outside the health-care environment. The third significant emergence of MRSA has been in livestock animals [livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA)]. The widespread and rapid growth in CA-MRSA and LA-MRSA has raised the question as to whether MRSA is indeed a food-borne pathogen. The observations on animal-to-animal and animal-to-human transfer of LA-MRSA have prompted research examining the origin of LA-MRSA and its capacity to cause zoonotic disease in humans. This review summarizes the current knowledge about MRSA from food-producing animals and foods with respect to the role of these organisms to act as food-borne pathogens and considers the available tools to track the spread of these organisms. It is clear that LA-MRSA and CA-MRSA and even HA-MRSA can be present in/on food intended for human consumption, but we conclude on the basis of the published literature that this does not equate to MRSA being considered a food-borne pathogen.

Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus by high pressure processing: An overview

“…Recent papers pointed animals as an important source of human infections with MRSA strains (Golding et al, 2010;Köck et al, 2013;Monaco et al, 2013;van der Mee-Marquet et al, 2011) and also the ability for these strains to colonize humans and for human S. aureus strains to colonize animals (Fitzgerald, 2012;Lowder et al, 2009;Price et al, 2012;Sakwinska et al, 2011). In fact, the presence of MRSA strains in meat products has been reported recently (Al-ghamdi, 2012;Wendlandt, Schwarz, & Silley, 2013).…”

“…aureus possesses several characteristics such as its quorumsensing mechanisms and virulence factors ( Table 1) that enable a wide range of diseases (Moellering, 2012;Rutherford & Bassler, 2012;Wendlandt et al, 2013). It produces a vast diversity of exoproteins (such as hemolysins, nucleases, proteases, lipases, hyaluronidase and collagenase) which grant the ability to colonize host tissues and also produces other exoproteins that contribute to its capacity to cause disease and to inhibit the host immune responses (such as toxic shock syndrome toxin-1, staphylococcal enterotoxins, exfoliative toxins and leukocidin) (Dinges, Orwin, & Schlievert, 2000;Foster, 2004).…”

Bacteriophage Biocontrol Rescues Mice Bacteremic of Clinically Isolated Mastitis from Dairy Cows Associated with Methicillin-Resistant <i>Staphyloccocus aureus</i>

“…These community-associated (CA)-MRSA infections were first reported in the Northern USA, where they caused fatal infections in otherwise healthy children [4]. Since that time, CA-MRSA has become a global problem, with the most serious epidemic seen in the USA [5] [6] and was recently implicated in zoonotic pathogens reported worldwide [7]- [9]. It appears that the zoonotic transmission likely occurs through the same mechanisms as horizontal transfer in humans and animals.…”

“…It appears that the zoonotic transmission likely occurs through the same mechanisms as horizontal transfer in humans and animals. Veterinary personnel are prime candidates as a carrier of MRSA and facilitate the spread of MRSA to and within animal populations [7]. A newly described type of MRSA carried by farm animals, "Livestock Associated MRSA (LA-MRSA)", is now causing infections in humans with and without direct livestock contact [8] and has been introduced to distinguish these strains from classical human HA-MRSA or CA-MRSA [9].…”

Surveillance of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Agricultural Production Chain of Mongolia

“…Moreover, MRSA CC398 is a relatively common contaminant of retail meat in Europe, and food-borne transmission has been hypothesized as a possible source of infections in people with no livestock contact. However, epidemiological data suggest that food-borne transmission is rare [11].…”