title: Isolation and characterization of staphylococci from external auditory meatus of dogs with or without otitis externa with special reference to Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans isolates.
abstract: Staphylococci were isolated from the external auditory meatus in 14 (48.3%) of 29 dogs affected with otitis externa (OE dogs) and 28 (68.3%) of 41 dogs without OE (non-OE dogs). Twenty-two OE isolates were identified as belonging to 12 species, and 42 non-OE isolates were identified as belonging to 13 species. The predominant species found in both OE and non-OE isolates were S. intermedius, and S. epidermidis. Thirty-eight (59.4%) of 64 isolates were resistant to one or more of the 17 antimicrobial agents tested. Resistance to PCG and ABPC was most frequent. S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans, a recent etiologic agent of canine OE, was isolated from OE and non-OE dogs. All of the 5 S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans isolates showed typical characteristics. No clear difference in the extracellular enzyme or toxin profiles, nor in the PFGE patterns, was demonstrated between the OE and non-OE isolates of S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans. A new PCR primer set specific for 16S rDNA was designed to identify strains of S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans. The amplified fragment was detected in all of the 5 isolates as well as the type strain GA 211 (=JCM 7470) and a reference strain GA 11, but was not detected in any strains of the related species, S. aureus, S. intermedius and S. hyicus. The PCR may allow a simple, rapid and precise identification of S. schleiferi subsp. coagulans, in addition to the standard tube test for free coagulase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haruna
authors.forename: Shizunobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Igimi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D003030:Coagulase; D017931:DNA Primers; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004431:Ear, External / Q000382:microbiology*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel / Q000662:veterinary; D010032:Otitis Externa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity; D013207:Staphylococcal Skin Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003030:Coagulase; D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S