Veterinary Research Forum
Vet Res Forum

Livestock, pets and humans as carriers of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and comparative evaluation of two PCR protocols for detection

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Dharitree Sonowal 1
Sandeep Ghatak 2
Acheenta Gohain Barua 1
Srinivas Kandhan 2
Razibuddin Ahmed Hazarika 1
Arnab Sen 2
Samir Das 2
Sarat Sonowal 1
Rajeev Kumar Sharma 3
Shantanu Tamuly 4
Chimanjita Phukan 5
Ajanta Sharma 5
Poznur Hussain 1

1 Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, India

2 Division of Animal and Fisheries Sciences, ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, India

3 Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, India

4 Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, India

5 Department of Microbiology, Gauhati Medical College, Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Guwahati, India

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2023.1971891.3672
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus are Gram positive bacteria known to acquire antibiotic resistance rapidly and pose a major challenge to clinicians worldwide. Infections by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are usually associated with increased mortality and prolonging of treatment. Samples (n = 706) from diverse sources (livestock, pets, animal handlers, human hospital) were collected and screened for the presence of MRSA by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The incidence of Staphylococcus aureus was greater in goats (42.00%; 28.20 - 56.80%, confidence interval [CI] 95.00%) followed by cattle (13.50%; 9.20 - 18.80%, CI 95.00%), humans (12.90%; 9.30 - 17.40%, CI 95.00%) and dogs (12.90%; 8.10 - 19.20%, CI 95.00%). Significantly higher incidence of MRSA was observed in dogs (65.00%; 40.80 - 84.60%, CI 95.00%), compared to other hosts namely cattle (48.00%; 26.50 - 64.30%, CI 95.00%), humans (35.00%; 20.20 - 52.50%, CI 95.00%) and goats (10.00%; 1.20 - 30.40%, CI 95.00%). All the S. aureus isolates were further screened for thermostable nuclease (nuc gene) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The incidence of nuc gene in cattle, dog, goat and human were found to be 3.30% (1.30 - 6.60%, CI 95.00%), 5.20% (2.30 - 9.90%, CI 95.00%), 28.00% (16.20 - 42.50%, CI 95.00%) and 9.10% (6.00 - 13.00%, CI 95.00%), respectively. Comparative evaluation of two PCR primers (mecA-162 and mecA-310) indicated the former one as more rational choice for detection of MRSA. Overall, the results of our study indicated possible risk of zoonotic transmission of MRSA from canines.

Keywords

Cefoxitin
mecA
MRSA
nuc

Subjects

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Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 14, Issue 7
July 2023
Pages 351-358

  • Receive Date 02 November 2022
  • Revise Date 19 December 2022
  • Accept Date 19 January 2023

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