title: Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus on Belgian Pork.
abstract: Since the first description of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA), a high prevalence was observed in pigs. At present, questions remain about the transmission of LA-MRSA to the general human population through pork. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of LA-MRSA in Belgian pork and to determine the role of the pork production chain and butcheries in transmission of LA-MRSA to the human population. Pig meat samples (chops, bacon, minced pork, ribs, forelimbs, and ears; n = 137) originating from four butcheries (A through D) were spread plated on ChromID MRSA plates both before and after overnight enrichment culture. Suspect colonies were confirmed using a MRSA-specific triplex PCR assay and a CC398-specific PCR assay. The isolates (n = 147) were further characterized by SCCmec typing, multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, a selection of isolates were subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and spa typing. Direct plating revealed a MRSA prevalence of 8%. After enrichment, MRSA was isolated from 98 (72%) of 137 samples of which the majority were from rib, ear, and forelimb. The majority (97%) of obtained isolates belonged to CC398, the main LA-MRSA type. A high level of genetic diversity was noted among the isolates from one butchery. Thirty antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were found; 13 and 9% of the isolates had Cip-Tet-Tri and Gen-Kan-Tet-Tob-Tri profiles, respectively. These results indicate the importance of enrichment for MRSA detection of pork. The observed genetic diversity of the isolates indicated that the pork production chain can be considered a source of multiple MRSA types that could be transmitted to the human population through cross-contaminated meat.
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Research Group, Technology and Food Science Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium; Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; marijke.verhegghe@ilvo.vlaanderen.be.
authors.forename: Marijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verhegghe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre, Groeselenberg 99, 1180 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crombé
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Research Group, Technology and Food Science Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium; Department of Obstetrics, Reproduction, and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kaat
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luyckx
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium; Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre, Groeselenberg 99, 1180 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Butaye
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Research Group, Technology and Food Science Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lieve
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Research Group, Technology and Food Science Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heyndrickx
authors.affiliation: Food Safety Research Group, Technology and Food Science Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Brusselsesteenweg 370, 9090 Melle, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geertrui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rasschaert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D015995:Prevalence; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*