Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Peninsular Malaysian Animal Handlers: Molecular Profile, Antimicrobial Resistance, Immune Evasion Cluster and Genotypic Categorization

Abstract

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.

Occurrence of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial resistance genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from healthy rabbits

“…As a result, it seems possible that MRSA could spread within poultry farms as well as through the air. In addition, it was discovered that animal handlers who had frequent contact with both pets and animals were more likely to have MRSA in their bodies than the animals they were caring for [28]. Thus, healthy rabbits in this study possibly derived MRSA from their environment as well as from their owner.…”

Exploring the virulence potential of immune evasion cluster genes in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from cancer patients

“…The MRSA isolates demonstrated resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics commonly used for treating MRSA infections ( Chai et al, 2022 ). The risk ratio associated with MRSA isolated from cancer patients revealed a resistance pattern to erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid, co-trimoxazole, tetracycline, gentamicin, and clindamycin.…”

“…Other studies from the Netherlands reported the highest prevalence of IEC type B variants among isolates ( van Wamel et al, 2006 , Verkaik et al, 2011 ), as type B is the predominant variant in human infectious isolates. Notably, a greater prevalence of Type E IEC variants has been documented in MRSA strains from Malaysia ( Chai et al, 2022 ). Our study identified 6 % Type E and 15 % Type B IEC variants among all isolates.…”

Exploring the Interplay of the CRISPR-CAS System with Antibiotic Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: A Poultry Meat Study from Lahore, Pakistan

“…Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a natural phenomenon [10], considered to be a significant health threat, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria needs up-to-date treatment protocols [11,12]. According to a reported economic study, the number of fatalities associated with antibiotic-resistant microbes will increase exponentially from 700,000 per year in 2015 to 10 million per year in 2050 [13].…”