title: Distribution of the Multidrug Resistance Gene cfr in Staphylococcus Isolates from Pigs, Workers, and the Environment of a Hog Market and a Slaughterhouse in Guangzhou, China.
abstract: Bacteria harboring cfr, a multidrug resistance gene, have high prevalence in livestock in China and might be transmitted to humans through direct contact or via contaminated food products. To better understand the epidemiology of cfr producers in the food chain, the prevalence and genetic analysis of Staphylococcus isolates recovered from pigs, workers, and meat-handling facilities (a slaughterhouse and a hog market in Guangzhou, China) were examined. Twenty (4.5%) cfr-positive Staphylococcus isolates (18 Staphylococcus simulans, 1 S. cohnii, and 1 S. aureus) were derived from pigs (16/312), the environment (2/52), and workers (2/80). SmaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of 26 staphylococcal strains (22 S. simulans and 4 S. cohnii), including previously reported cfr-carrying staphylococci of animal food origin, exhibited 19 major pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns (A-S). Clonal spread of cfr-carrying staphylococci among pigs, workers, and meat products was detected. The genetic contexts of cfr in plasmids (pHNKF3, pHNZT2, and pHNCR35) obtained from S. simulans of swine or human origin were similar to that of Staphylococcus species isolated from human clinics and animal-derived food. The cfr-carrying S. aureus strain isolated from floor swabs of the hog market was spa-type t889 and belonged to the ST9 clonal lineage. In summary, both clonal spread and horizontal transmission via mobile elements contributed to cfr dissemination among staphylococcal isolates obtained from different sources. To monitor potential outbreaks of cfr-positive bacteria, continued surveillance of this gene in animals at slaughter and in animal-derived food is warranted.
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong SAR, China .
authors.forename: Da-Chuan
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Xiao-Mu
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Hong-Kun
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Xiao-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Xiao-Jie
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Jian-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Zhen-Ling
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: 1 College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou, China .
authors.forename: Jian-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002681:China; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D019450:Genes, MDR; D006801:Humans; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013552:Swine / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C539943:CFR protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D004269:DNA, Bacterial