title: Distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in healthy mares.
abstract: The prevalence of staphylococci that harbor the mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance was examined in healthy breeding mares. Staphylococci often cause diseases of horses such as metritis, keratitis, and abscess. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci would make antibiotic treatments ineffective, so it may be significant to know the distribution of mecA-harboring staphylococci in mares. Isolation of mecA-harboring staphylococci was achieved from nares and pasterns of 100 mares in Hokkaido, Japan. From 13% of the mares, mecA-harboring staphylococci, including 15 isolates of Staphylococcus sciuri and 3 of Staphylococcus lentus, were isolated. Isolates of S. sciuri were found to be genetically polyclonal by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. These isolates produced no PCase and showed low or no resistance to beta-lactam and other classes of antibiotics. Distribution of staphylococcal species and levels of antibiotic resistance were found to be different between isolates from the present mares and those previously reported from riding-horses. Antibiotic pressure may lead to these differences. In addition, it appears that mecA-harboring S. sciuri may be native to horses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University, Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Anzai
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashikura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D006736:Horses / Q000382:microbiology*; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S