title: Mustelidae are natural hosts of Staphylococcus delphini group A.
abstract: According to the current taxonomy, the Staphylococcus intermedius group (SIG) comprises of at least three distinct species. While S. intermedius and S. pseudintermedius are associated with specific hosts (pigeons and dogs, respectively), the natural host of S. delphini remains unclear. We analysed 158 SIG isolates from less studied animal species belonging to the order Carnivora, including mink (n=118), fox (n=33), badger (n=6) and ferret (n=1). Species identification was performed by nuc PCR in combination with sodA sequence analysis and pta PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The results showed a consistent association between host and bacterial species. All isolates from minks, ferret and badgers belonged to S. delphini group A, whereas all fox isolates except one were identified as S. pseudintermedius. The remaining fox isolate belonged to S. delphini group A. The results indicate that Mustelidae such as minks, ferrets and badgers are natural hosts of S. delphini group A. This is in contrast with Canidae, which are primarily colonized and infected with S. pseudintermedius. These findings suggest that coagulase-positive staphylococcal species may have evolved and diverged through host adaptation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guardabassi
authors.forename: Kristina Runge
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Tina Steiner
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Espinosa-Gongora
authors.forename: Arshnee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moodley
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Agersø
authors.forename: John Elmerdahl
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D046028:Canidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D057789:Staphylococcus intermedius / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*