title: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in foods of animal origin product in Italy.
abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are a global health concern. The present study regarded 160 S. aureus strains that had been isolated from 1634 foodstuff samples of animal origin in a previous survey conducted in Italy during 2003-2005. The strains were characterized by detecting the mecA gene, the production of type A to D staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs), and studying their resistance properties against several antibiotics; their ecological origin was determined by biotyping. Of the 160 analyzed S. aureus strains six (3.75%) were mecA positive and derived from six different samples; four isolates were from bovine milk and two from dairy products (pecorino cheese and mozzarella cheese). Two strains isolated from milk belonged to the non-host-specific biovar while the others to the ovine biovar. The strain isolated from mozzarella cheese belonged to the non-host-specific biovar and the strain isolated from pecorino cheese to the ovine biovar. All the MRSA strains isolated were enterotoxigenic; two strains synthesized SEA/SED two SED and one SEC. All the strains showed resistance to at least one of the antibiotics tested but none was resistant to glycopeptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Animal Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 70010 Valenzano (Bari) Italy. g.normanno@veterinaria.uniba.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Normanno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corrente
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Salandra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dambrosio
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Quaglia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bellacicco
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Virgilio
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Celano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008892:Milk / Q000382:microbiology*; D012756:Sheep; D013045:Species Specificity; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004768:Enterotoxins