title: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in different free-living wild animal species in Spain.
abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a life-threatening pathogen in humans and its presence in animals is a public health concern. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of MRSA in free-living wild animals. Samples from red deer (n=273), Iberian ibex (n=212), Eurasian Griffon vulture (n=40) and wild boar (n=817) taken from different areas in Spain between June 2008 and November 2011 were analyzed. Characterization of the isolates was performed by spa typing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A low prevalence of MRSA was found with 13 isolates obtained from 12 animals (0.89%; 95% CI: 0.46-1.56). All MRSA sequence types belonged to ST398 (t011 and t1451) and ST1 (t127). Genotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns (tetracycline resistance in ST398 and clindamycin-erythromycin-tetracycline resistance in ST1) suggest that the MRSA found probably originated in livestock (ST398) or humans (ST1). This is the first report of MRSA carriers in free-living wild animals in Europe. Although our data showed that MRSA prevalence is currently low, free-living wild animals might act as reservoir and represent a potential risk for human health.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: conchaporrero@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M Concepción
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Porrero
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mentaberre
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llario
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gómez-Barrero
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Navarro-Gonzalez
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Encarna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casas-Díaz
authors.forename: Ignasi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.forename: José-Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fernández-Garayzabal
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mateos
authors.forename: Dolors
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lavín
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Domínguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003670:Deer; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D046093:Falconiformes; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006041:Goats; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D012621:Seasons; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: MLST; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); Wildlife; spa typing