title: Distribution of staphylococcal species on clinically healthy cats.
abstract: Among 827 isolates derived from 113 clinically healthy cats, 12 species of staphylococci were identified. Staphylococci were isolated from each cat and from 54.9% of the anatomic sites evaluated. A mode of 6 (range = 2 to 11) of the 11 anatomic sites evaluated per cat yielded staphylococci. A mode of 8 (range = 2 to 12) isolates were found per cat. Staphylococcus simulans was the most isolated (43.9% of total) coagulase-negative species. Moreover, S simulans was the most isolated species from each of the 11 sites evaluated and, except for the mouth and haircoat, comprised greater than 50% of the isolates from each site. Staphylococcus intermedius was the most isolated (13.5% of the total) coagulase-positive species. Three other species (S epidermidis, S xylosus, and S aureus) comprised 32.2% of the isolates, and 7 species (S haemolyticus, S hominis, S hyicus, S capitis, S warneri, and S saprophyticus) comprised 10.4% of the isolates. Six species (S intermedius [96 of 112 isolates], S haemolyticus [20 of 22], S sciuri [17 of 18], S warneri [10 of 13], S hyicus [10 of 10], and S capitis [7 of 8]) were isolated primarily from household cats. Only 1 species, S xylosus (75 of 87), was isolated primarily from cattery cats. Haircoat specimens (n = 452) yielded 508 isolates (61.4% of the total) distributed among all 12 staphylococcal species and included greater than 50% of the isolates of all species other than S simulans and S sciuri. A more heterogeneous population of staphylococci was isolated from household cats than was isolated from cattery cats.
mesh_terms: D001003:Anal Canal / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000382:microbiology*; D004423:Ear / Q000382:microbiology; D005123:Eye / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D010413:Penis / Q000382:microbiology; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D012931:Social Environment; D013045:Species Specificity; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology