Analyze Diet
Pathogens and disease2016; 74(4); ftw025; doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftw025

A methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Sequence Type 8, spa type t11469 causing infection and colonizing horses in Italy.

Abstract: A Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) was isolated in Italy from a pathological sample of a mare presenting chronic purulent sinusitis and that had undergone frontal-sinus surgery three months before. Humans, horses, dogs and environmental samples were subsequently collected at the mare's stable and at the Veterinary Hospital, where the mare was operated/hospitalized, and screened for the presence of MRSA that was detected from other horses and from the environment at both sites. All the MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex (CC)8, ST8-t11469-SCCmec-IVa, and showed similar phenotypic and genetic multidrug resistance patterns and macrorestriction-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles. The only MRSA detected from humans was a CC1, ST1-t127-SCCmec-IVa. This paper represents the first report of a clinical MRSA infection in a horse in Italy. This study also supports the opinion that improper use of antibiotics and hospitalization/surgery can represent risk factors for MRSA colonization/infection in horses, and that the environment is among important sources for exposure.
Publication Date: 2016-04-05 PubMed ID: 27052029DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftw025Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research highlights the detection of a specific type of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causing infections in horses in Italy. The study also emphasizes the significant role improper antibiotic usage and hospitalization play in increasing susceptibility to MRSA infection, and how the environment is a critical source of exposure.

Isolation of MRSA Strain

  • Researchers discovered a specific strain of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from a sick mare with chronic purulent sinusitis in Italy.
  • This mare had undergone sinus surgery three months before the discovery.

MRSA Detection in other Sources

  • Environmental samples and samples from humans, horses, and dogs were collected from the mare’s stable and the Veterinary Hospital where the mare had been treated.
  • MRSA was detected from some of these samples, particularly other horses at both the stable and hospital, as well as from the environment in both locations.

Analysis of the MRSA strain

  • All the isolated MRSA strains were found to belong to the CC8, ST8-t11469-SCCmec-IVa group.
  • These strains exhibited similar phenotypic and genetic multidrug resistance patterns and macrorestriction-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles.

Infection in Humans

  • The only MRSA strain detected in humans during this study was a variant of the CC1, ST1-t127-SCCmec-IVa.
  • This indicates that while humans were exposed to the same environment, they did not contract the exact same strain of MRSA that affected the horses.

MRSA Infection in Horses in Italy

  • This is the first reported case of a clinical MRSA infection in a horse in Italy.
  • The findings reinforce the belief that the misuse of antibiotics and hospitalization or surgery can create risk factors for MRSA colonization or infection in horses.
  • The study also points out the environment as an essential source for exposure to this bacteria.

Cite This Article

APA
Carfora V, Caprioli A, Grossi I, Pepe M, Alba P, Lorenzetti S, Amoruso R, Sorbara L, Franco A, Battisti A. (2016). A methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Sequence Type 8, spa type t11469 causing infection and colonizing horses in Italy. Pathog Dis, 74(4), ftw025. https://doi.org/10.1093/femspd/ftw025

Publication

ISSN: 2049-632X
NlmUniqueID: 101595366
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 74
Issue: 4
Pages: ftw025

Researcher Affiliations

Carfora, Virginia
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Caprioli, Andrea
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Grossi, Ilaria
  • Veterinary practitioner, Via Leonardo Bufalini 84, 00176, Italy.
Pepe, Marco
  • Department of Veterinary Pathology, Diagnostic and Clinic, University of Perugia, Via S. Costanzo, 4, 00126, Italy.
Alba, Patricia
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Lorenzetti, Serena
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Amoruso, Roberta
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Sorbara, Luigi
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Franco, Alessia
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy.
Battisti, Antonio
  • Direzione Operativa Diagnostica Generale, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della, Toscana 'M. Aleandri', Via Appia Nuova 1411, 00178, Italy antonio.battisti@izslt.it.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Genotype
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Italy
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / classification
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary

Grant Funding

  • 001 / World Health Organization

Citations

This article has been cited 9 times.
  1. Caddey B, Fisher S, Barkema HW, Nobrega DB. Companions in antimicrobial resistance: examining transmission of common antimicrobial-resistant organisms between people and their dogs, cats, and horses. Clin Microbiol Rev 2025 Mar 13;38(1):e0014622.
    doi: 10.1128/cmr.00146-22pubmed: 39853095google scholar: lookup
  2. Bullone M, Bellato A, Robino P, Nebbia P, Morello S, Marchis D, Tarducci A, Ru G. Prevalence and risk factors associated with nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in horses and their caregivers. Vet Res 2024 Sep 9;55(1):108.
    doi: 10.1186/s13567-024-01364-0pubmed: 39252070google scholar: lookup
  3. Khairullah AR, Sudjarwo SA, Effendi MH, Ramandinianto SC, Widodo A, Riwu KHP. A review of horses as a source of spreading livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to human health. Vet World 2022 Aug;15(8):1906-1915.
  4. Uchida-Fujii E, Niwa H, Kanai K, Kinoshita Y, Kuroda T, Nukada T, Ueno T. Outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 1, spa type t1784, in an equine hospital in Japan. Vet Anim Sci 2022 Sep;17:100259.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2022.100259pubmed: 35800153google scholar: lookup
  5. Nielsen SS, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Gortázar C, Herskin M, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Padalino B, Pasquali P, Roberts HC, Spoolder H, Ståhl K, Velarde A, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Baldinelli F, Broglia A, Kohnle L, Alvarez J. Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in cattle and horses. EFSA J 2022 May;20(5):e07312.
    doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7312pubmed: 35582361google scholar: lookup
  6. Waqar N, Amin Q, Munir T, Ikram MS, Shahzad N, Mirza A, Ali A, Arshad MI. A cross-sectional study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at the equine-human interface. Trop Anim Health Prod 2019 Sep;51(7):1927-1933.
    doi: 10.1007/s11250-019-01888-0pubmed: 30972624google scholar: lookup
  7. Mazzariol S, Corrò M, Tonon E, Biancani B, Centelleghe C, Gili C. Death Associated to Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST8 Infection in Two Dolphins Maintained Under Human Care, Italy. Front Immunol 2018;9:2726.
    doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02726pubmed: 30524446google scholar: lookup
  8. Adams R, Smith J, Locke S, Phillips E, Erol E, Carter C, Odoi A. An epidemiologic study of antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus species isolated from equine samples submitted to a diagnostic laboratory. BMC Vet Res 2018 Feb 5;14(1):42.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-018-1367-6pubmed: 29402294google scholar: lookup
  9. Guérin F, Fines-Guyon M, Meignen P, Delente G, Fondrinier C, Bourdon N, Cattoir V, Léon A. Nationwide molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus responsible for horse infections in France. BMC Microbiol 2017 May 3;17(1):104.
    doi: 10.1186/s12866-016-0924-zpubmed: 28468636google scholar: lookup