title: Association of a lukM-positive clone of Staphylococcus aureus with fatal exudative dermatitis in red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris).
abstract: Fatal exudative dermatitis (FED) is a recently described condition affecting red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) on the Isle of Wight and Jersey (Simpson et al., 2010a). Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from skin lesions in cases of FED were characterised by molecular and phenotypic approaches. The strains were found to belong to a single MLST clonal complex (CC49) representing either ST49 or a novel single locus variant thereof (ST1957), were closely related by other molecular typing approaches, and all possessed the leukotoxin M encoding gene (lukM). In contrast S. aureus was either not isolated from none-FED cases or belonged to distinct and diverse molecular types that, with one exception, did not encode lukM. All isolates from FED cases were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, including penicillin, and all proved negative for mecA and mecC as well as 14 other staphylococcal toxin genes. As all squirrels affected by FED were infected with S. aureus of the same lineage and encoded the lukM gene, it is possible that strains of this lineage may be involved in the pathogenesis of the dermatitis.
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre, Jollys Bottom Farm, Chacewater, Truro, Cornwall TR4 8PB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: vic@wildlifevic.org.
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Polwhele, Truro, Cornwall TR4 9AD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Davison
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Healthcare Associated Infection, Microbiology Services Colindale, Health Protection Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kearns
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Healthcare Associated Infection, Microbiology Services Colindale, Health Protection Agency, 61 Colindale Avenue, London, NW9 5EQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pichon
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London Old Medical School Building, St. Mary's Campus, London, W2 1PG, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koylass
authors.affiliation: JSPCA Animals' Shelter, 89 St Saviours Road, St. Helier, Jersey, JE2 4GJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blackett
authors.affiliation: Wight Squirrel Project, PO Box 33, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 1BH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: INSERM U851, French National Reference Center for Staphylococci, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, 69372 Lyon CEDEX 8, France.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rasigade
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 3NB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Whatmore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D058889:Molecular Typing; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D012377:Rodentia; D012589:Sciuridae; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005098:Exotoxins; C091659:LukM protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C018579:leukotoxin