High prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the mecC gene in a semi-extensive red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) farm in Southern Spain.
The objective was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in red deer of a semi-extensive farm and in humans in contact with the estate animals, and to characterize obtained isolates. Nasal swabs of 65 deer and 15 humans were seeded on mannitol-salt-agar and oxacillin-resistance-screening-agar-base. Isolates were identified by microbiological and molecular methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile was determined for 16 antibiotics by disk-diffusion and the presence of eight antibiotic resistance genes, seven virulence genes and genes of immune-evasion-cluster (IEC) was analyzed by PCR. S. aureus was typed by PFGE-SmaI, spa, agr, SCCmec and MLST. Isolates were detected in 16 deer (24.6%). Eleven S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant (MRSA), and five were methicillin-susceptible (MSSA). All MRSA harbored mecC gene and were agr-III/SCCmecXI/ST1945 (four spa-t843 and seven spa-t1535). All mecC-MRSA carried blaZ-SCCmecXI and etd2, were IEC-type-E, and belonged to the same PFGE pattern. The five MSSA were typed as spa-t2420/agr-I/ST133. Regarding humans, S. aureus was recovered from six samples (40%). The isolates were MSSA and were typed as spa-t002/agr-II, spa-t012/agr-III or spa-t822/agr-III and showed different IEC types (A, B, D and F). blaZ and erm(A) genes were detected, as well as cna and tst genes. As conclusion, red deer analyzed in this study are frequent carriers of mecC-MRSA CC130 (16.9%), they are characterized by few resistance and virulence determinants, and by the presence of IEC type-E. Deer could be a source of mecC-MRSA which could potentially be transmitted to other animals, or even to humans.
Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain.
Paula
P
Gómez
Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain.
Carmen
C
Lozano
SaBio, Spanish Wildlife Research Institute IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain.
David
D
González-Barrio
Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain.
Myriam
M
Zarazaga
SaBio, Spanish Wildlife Research Institute IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain.
Francisco
F
Ruiz-Fons
Area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain. Electronic address: carmen.torres@unirioja.es.
Carmen
C
Torres
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003670:Deer; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors
CC130; IEC; MRSA; Red deer; S. aureus; mecC