title: Identification and characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Austrian companion animals and horses.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial resistance, resistance gene patterns and genetic relatedness of a collection of Austrian methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from companion animals and horses. A total of 89 non-repetitive MRSA isolates collected during routine veterinary microbiological examinations from April 2004 to the end of 2012, and one isolate from 2013 were used for this study. The presence of mecA and other resistance genes was confirmed by PCR. Isolates were genotyped by spa typing, two multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analyses (MLVA) analyses, SCCmec typing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). PCR targeting Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) and detection of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE), toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) was performed using PCR assays. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed. Five sequence types (STs-ST398, ST254, ST22, ST5 and ST1), SCCmec types II, IVa, V, and non-type-abele, 8 spa-types (t003, t011, t036, t127, t386, t1348, and t4450), and two isolates could not be assigned, 21 MLVA-14Orsay types Multiplex-PCR MLVA (mMLVA) displayed 17 different MLVA types. The present study is the most comprehensive dealing with MRSA from Austrian companion animals and horses. The results confirm that MRSA ST398 is present in a wide range of animal species and is predominant especially in horses. In other companion animals it is unclear whether the infections with the different MRSA isolates investigated in the present study truly represents a rare phenomenon or may be an emerging problem in companion animals.
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, Unit of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Biology, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: igor.loncaric@vetmeduni.ac.at.
authors: Igor
authors: I
authors: Loncaric
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Clinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, Clinic of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Künzel
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Clinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, Equine Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Theresia
authors: T
authors: Licka
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Clinical Department for Small Animals and Horses, Equine Clinic, Vienna, Austria.
authors: Hubert
authors: H
authors: Simhofer
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, Unit of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Biology, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors: Joachim
authors: J
authors: Spergser
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, Unit of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Biology, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors: Renate
authors: R
authors: Rosengarten
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001317:Austria; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses / Q000382:microbiology*; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D057805:Pets / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D007956:Leukocidins; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D046915:Penicillin-Binding Proteins; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal; C487789:mecA protein, Staphylococcus aureus
keywords: Companion animals; Horses; MRSA; Molecular typing; Multidrug resistance