title: Multidrug-resistant and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hog slaughter and processing plant workers and their community in North Carolina (USA).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Use of antimicrobials in industrial food-animal production is associated with the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) among animals and humans. Hog slaughter/processing plants process large numbers of animals from industrial animal operations and are environments conducive to the exchange of bacteria between animals and workers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We compared the prevalence of multidrug-resistant S. aureus (MDRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage among processing plant workers, their household members, and community residents.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study of hog slaughter/processing plant workers, their household members, and community residents in North Carolina. Participants responded to a questionnaire and provided a nasal swab. Swabs were tested for S. aureus, and isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and subjected to multilocus sequence typing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of S. aureus was 21.6%, 30.2%, and 22.5% among 162 workers, 63 household members, and 111 community residents, respectively. The overall prevalence of MDRSA and MRSA tested by disk diffusion was 6.9% and 4.8%, respectively. The adjusted prevalence of MDRSA among workers was 1.96 times (95% CI: 0.71, 5.45) the prevalence in community residents. The adjusted average number of antimicrobial classes to which S. aureus isolates from workers were resistant was 2.54 times (95% CI: 1.16, 5.56) the number among isolates from community residents. We identified two MDRSA isolates and one MRSA isolate from workers as sequence type 398, a type associated with exposure to livestock.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA was similar in hog slaughter/processing plant workers and their household and community members, S. aureus isolates from workers were resistant to a greater number of antimicrobial classes. These findings may be related to the nontherapeutic use of antimicrobials in food-animal production.
authors: Department of Epidemiology, and.
authors: Ricardo Castillo
authors: RC
authors: Neyra
authors: Jose Augusto
authors: JA
authors: Frisancho
authors: Jessica L
authors: JL
authors: Rinsky
authors: Carol
authors: C
authors: Resnick
authors: Karen Colleen
authors: KC
authors: Carroll
authors: Ana Maria
authors: AM
authors: Rule
authors: Tracy
authors: T
authors: Ross
authors: Yaqi
authors: Y
authors: You
authors: Lance B
authors: LB
authors: Price
authors: Ellen Kovner
authors: EK
authors: Silbergeld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009657:North Carolina; D013552:Swine