Prevalence of meticillin‐resistant staphylococci among dogs and cats at a veterinary teaching hospital in Portugal

Significance and Impact of the Study: In this study, antimicrobial-resistant coagulase-negative and coagulase-positive staphylococci were isolated from various body sites on healthy dogs and cats. Resistance to 14 antimicrobials was observed including resistance to oxacillin; the majority of staphylococci were also multidrug resistant. Results from this study suggest that healthy dogs and cats may act as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria that may be transferred to people by simple interaction with the animals. Such carriage poses an underlying risk of infection, which should be considered during handling of healthy dogs and cats by pet owners and veterinary personnel. Abstract Antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci have been associated with wounded or ill companion animals, but little is known about the prevalence of resistant staphylococci among healthy animals. In this study, 276 healthy dogs and cats from veterinary clinics were tested for the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus spp. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of select resistance genes, and typed using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius were also characterized using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), spa typing and SCCmec typing. Approximately 5% (14/276) of the animals were positive by enrichment for five species of staphylococci [Staph. aureus (n = 11), Staph. pseudintermedius (n = 4), Staphylococcus sciuri (n = 6), Staphylococcus simulans (n = 1) and Staphylococcus warneri (n = 1)]. Seventy-eight per cent (18/23) of staphylococci were resistant to oxacillin and also multidrug resistant (resistance to ≥ 2 antimicrobials). All Staph. aureus isolates were mecA+ and blaZ+, SCCmec type II, spa type t002, ST5 and clonal using PFGE. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius were SCCmec type IV or V, spa type t06 and ST170; two of the isolates were pvl + . These results suggest that healthy companion animals may be a reservoir of multidrug-resistant staphylococci, which may be transferred to owners and others who handle companion animals.

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“…; Couto et al . ). SCC mec type IV, spa type t06, has also been described in the United States (Perreten et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Carriage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci by healthy companion animals in the US

Davis

Jackson

Fedorka–Cray

et al. 2014

Letters in Applied Microbiology

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“…Perreten and others (2010) found two major clonal MRSP lineages (ST71 in Europe and ST68 in North America) with different apparent geographical distributions, both of which were identified in this study from Portugal. In addition, in the current study, Couto and others (2011) echo the concerns of Perreten and others (2010) in discussing the therapeutic difficulties associated with treatment of infection secondary to these multiresistant pathogens in companion animals. The authors highlight the possibility of poor treatment decisions based on the resistance profile, resulting in potential consideration of drugs with poor efficacy in the target species or those identified as critically important to humans, citing this as a ‘serious ethical dilemma’.…”

mentioning

confidence: 79%

Meticillin‐resistant staphylococci in companion animals

Heller

2011

Veterinary Record

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“…Among coagulase-negative staphylococci, S. felis was dominant in Brazil [116], and a coagulase-positive S. intermedius was dominant in canine species in the UK [192,193]. The prevalence of canine MRSA was 0.7% in Portugal, 2.3-9% in UK, and ≤20% in Canada [194][195][196][197]. Conversely, in cats, it was 1.48% in the UK, ≤4% in Portugal [195,198] and 21.4% from wounds and skin lesions of cats in the USA [199].…”

Section: Canine and Feline Mrsamentioning

confidence: 99%

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Food- Producing and Companion Animals and Food Products

Chon¹,

Sung²,

Khan³

2017

Frontiers in Staphylococcus Aureus

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a growing concern in companion and food-producing animals. The presence of multidrug-resistance with a wide range of extracellular enterotoxin genes, virulence factors, and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl) cytotoxin genes confer life-threatening traits on MRSA and makes them highly pathogenic and diicult to treat. Clonal complex 398 (CC398), a predominant clonal lineage of livestock-associated-MRSA in domestic animals and retail meat, is capable of infecting humans. In order to monitor and prevent MRSA contamination, it is critical to understand its source and transmission dynamics. In this review, we describe MRSA in food-producing animals (pig, catle, chicken), horses, pet animals (dogs, cats), and food products (pork, beef, chicken, milk, and ish).

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Prevalence of meticillin‐resistant staphylococci among dogs and cats at a veterinary teaching hospital in Portugal

Cited by 29 publications

References 16 publications

Carriage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci by healthy companion animals in the US

Carriage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci by healthy companion animals in the US

Meticillin‐resistant staphylococci in companion animals

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Food- Producing and Companion Animals and Food Products

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