Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in different free-living wild animal species in Spain

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 198; no. 1; pp. 127 - 130
• Main Authors: Porrero, M. Concepción, Mentaberre, Gregorio, Sánchez, Sergio, Fernández-Llario, Pedro, Gómez-Barrero, Susana, Navarro-Gonzalez, Nora, Serrano, Emmanuel, Casas-Díaz, Encarna, Marco, Ignasi, Fernández-Garayzabal, José-Francisco, Mateos, Ana, Vidal, Dolors, Lavín, Santiago, Domínguez, Lucas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2013
• Subjects: Animals; antibiotic resistance; Bacterial Typing Techniques - veterinary; Bird Diseases - epidemiology; Bird Diseases - microbiology; Capra; Carrier State - epidemiology; Carrier State - microbiology; Carrier State - veterinary; Cervus elaphus; Deer; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Falconiformes; genotype; Goat Diseases - epidemiology; Goat Diseases - microbiology; Goats; humans; livestock; methicillin; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - classification; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - veterinary; MLST; Multilocus Sequence Typing - veterinary; pathogens; Prevalence; risk; Seasons; spa typing; Spain - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcal Infections - veterinary; Staphylococcus aureus; Sus scrofa; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - microbiology; tetracycline; wild boars; Wildlife; Spain; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); MLST; spa typing; Wildlife
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.06.004

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a life-threatening pathogen in humans and its presence in animals is a public health concern. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of MRSA in free-living wild animals. Samples from red deer (n=273), Iberian ibex (n=212), Eurasian Griffon vulture (n=40) and wild boar (n=817) taken from different areas in Spain between June 2008 and November 2011 were analyzed. Characterization of the isolates was performed by spa typing, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A low prevalence of MRSA was found with 13 isolates obtained from 12 animals (0.89%; 95% CI: 0.46–1.56). All MRSA sequence types belonged to ST398 (t011 and t1451) and ST1 (t127). Genotypes and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns (tetracycline resistance in ST398 and clindamycin–erythromycin–tetracycline resistance in ST1) suggest that the MRSA found probably originated in livestock (ST398) or humans (ST1). This is the first report of MRSA carriers in free-living wild animals in Europe. Although our data showed that MRSA prevalence is currently low, free-living wild animals might act as reservoir and represent a potential risk for human health.