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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / An Exploratory Descriptive Study of Antimicrobial Resistance...
BMC veterinary research2017; 13(1); 269; doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1196-z

An Exploratory Descriptive Study of Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Staphylococcus Spp. Isolated from Horses Presented at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus are becoming increasingly important in horses because of the zoonotic nature of the pathogens and the associated risks to caregivers and owners. Knowledge of the burden and their antimicrobial resistance patterns are important to inform control strategies. This study is an exploratory descriptive investigation of the burden and antimicrobial drug resistance patterns of Staphylococcus isolates from horses presented at a veterinary teaching hospital in South Africa. Methods: Retrospective laboratory clinical records of 1027 horses presented at the University of Pretoria veterinary teaching hospital between 2007 and 2012 were included in the study. Crude and factor-specific percentages of Staphylococcus positive samples, antimicrobial resistant (AMR) and multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates were computed and compared across Staphylococcus spp., geographic locations, seasons, years, breed and sex using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Of the 1027 processed clinical samples, 12.0% were Staphylococcus positive. The majority of the isolates were S. aureus (41.5%) followed by S. pseudintermedius (14.6%). Fifty-two percent of the Staphylococcus positive isolates were AMR while 28.5% were MDR. Significant (p < 0.05) differences in the percentage of samples with isolates that were AMR or MDR was observed across seasons, horse breeds and Staphylococcus spp. Summer season had the highest (64.3%) and autumn the lowest (29.6%) percentages of AMR isolates. Highest percentage of AMR samples were observed among the Boerperds (85.7%) followed by the American saddler (75%) and the European warm blood (73.9%). Significantly (p < 0.001) more S. aureus isolates (72.5%) were AMR than S. pseudintermedius isolates (38.9%). Similarly, significantly (p < 0.001) more S. aureus (52.9%) exhibited MDR than S. pseudintermedius (16.7%). The highest levels of AMR were towards β-lactams (84.5%) followed by trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (folate pathway inhibitors) (60.9%) while the lowest levels of resistance were towards amikacin (14.%). Conclusions: This exploratory study provides useful information to guide future studies that will be critical for guiding treatment decisions and control efforts. There is a need to implement appropriate infection control, and judicious use of antimicrobials to arrest development of antimicrobial resistance. A better understanding of the status of the problem is a first step towards that goal.
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Publication Date: 2017-08-22 PubMed ID: 28830437PubMed Central: PMC5568347DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1196-zGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research study investigated the presence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Staphylococcus bacteria in horses in a South African veterinary hospital. This is important because these bacteria can be transferred to humans and many are becoming resistant to antibiotics, which can make infections more difficult to treat.

Study Overview and Methodology

  • This study is an exploratory descriptive type, aiming to measure the prevalence and antibiotic resistance patterns of Staphylococcus bacteria in horses.
  • The investigation used retrospective data collected from the University of Pretoria’s veterinary teaching hospital, covering a period from 2007 to 2012.
  • Data from 1027 horse clinical records were included in the study, with particular attention to Staphylococcus positive samples, antibiotic resistant and multidrug resistant bacteria.
  • Calculations and comparisons were made between various breeds, geographic locations, seasons, and years, with consideration of the sex of the horses as well.
  • The statistical tools used were the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests.

Study Findings

  • Out of all the clinical samples, 12.0% were identified as Staphylococcus positive. The most common species found was S. aureus (41.5%) with S. pseudintermedius being the second most common (14.6%).
  • Over half (52%) of the Staphylococcus positive samples showed resistance to antibiotics (AMR), with 28.5% being resistant to multiple drugs (MDR).
  • There were significant differences in percentages of AMR and MDR samples across different seasons, horse breeds, and types of Staphylococcus bacteria.
  • The summer season had the highest rate of AMR bacteria, while autumn had the lowest.
  • Among horse breeds, the Boerperds showed the highest percentage of AMR samples. S. aureus bacteria showed more resistance to antibiotics than S. pseudintermedius.
  • The highest levels of antibiotic resistance were found towards β-lactams and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, while the lowest were towards amikacin.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • The findings of the study can help guide future research and treatment strategies targeting Staphylococcus bacteria in horses.
  • The study suggests a need for better infection control protocols and more judicious use of antibiotics to slow the development of antibiotic resistance.
  • The authors argue that a more comprehensive understanding of the scale of the problem is crucial to achieving these goals.

Cite This Article

APA
Oguttu JW, Qekwana DN, Odoi A. (2017). An Exploratory Descriptive Study of Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Staphylococcus Spp. Isolated from Horses Presented at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. BMC Vet Res, 13(1), 269. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-1196-z

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 269

Researcher Affiliations

Oguttu, James Wabwire
  • Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Qekwana, Daniel Nenene
  • Section Veterinary Public Health, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Odoi, Agricola
  • Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa. aodoi@utk.edu.
  • Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. aodoi@utk.edu.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Hospitals, Animal
  • Hospitals, Teaching
  • Male
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Retrospective Studies
  • South Africa / epidemiology
  • Species Specificity
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
  • Staphylococcus / classification
  • Staphylococcus / drug effects
  • Staphylococcus / isolation & purification

Conflict of Interest Statement

ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE: This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committees of both the University of Pretoria and the University of South Africa (reference number V051–14 and Ref. NR.: 2014/CAES/077 respectively). Consent for animal samples to be used in research and for the findings to be published was obtained from animal owners at the time they consented for their animals to receive care at the veterinary teaching hospital. CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION: Not applicable COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
  1. Sigudu TT, Oguttu JW, Qekwana DN. Antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus spp. isolated from canine specimens submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in South Africa. Vet World 2025 Jun;18(6):1421-1432.
    doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1421-1432pubmed: 40689196google scholar: lookup
  2. Sigudu T, Qekwana D, Oguttu J. A Retrospective Descriptive Study of Staphylococcus Species Isolated from Canine Specimens Submitted to a Diagnostic Laboratory in South Africa, 2012-2017. Animals (Basel) 2024 Apr 26;14(9).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14091304pubmed: 38731308google scholar: lookup
  3. Karzis J, Petzer IM, Naidoo V, Donkin EF. The spread and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in South African dairy herds - A review. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 2021 Oct 26;88(1):e1-e10.
    doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v88i1.1937pubmed: 34797108google scholar: lookup
  4. Othman AA, Hiblu MA, Abbassi MS, Abouzeed YM, Ahmed MO. Nasal colonization and antibiotic resistance patterns of Staphylococcus species isolated from healthy horses in Tripoli, Libya. J Equine Sci 2021 Jun;32(2):61-65.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.32.61pubmed: 34220273google scholar: lookup
  5. Phophi L, Petzer IM, Qekwana DN. Antimicrobial resistance patterns and biofilm formation of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species isolated from subclinical mastitis cow milk samples submitted to the Onderstepoort Milk Laboratory. BMC Vet Res 2019 Nov 26;15(1):420.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-2175-3pubmed: 31771575google scholar: lookup
  6. Bantawa K, Sah SN, Subba Limbu D, Subba P, Ghimire A. Antibiotic resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio isolated from chicken, pork, buffalo and goat meat in eastern Nepal. BMC Res Notes 2019 Nov 21;12(1):766.
    doi: 10.1186/s13104-019-4798-7pubmed: 31752992google scholar: lookup
  7. Mama OM, Gómez P, Ruiz-Ripa L, Gómez-Sanz E, Zarazaga M, Torres C. Antimicrobial Resistance, Virulence, and Genetic Lineages of Staphylococci from Horses Destined for Human Consumption: High Detection of S. aureus Isolates of Lineage ST1640 and Those Carrying the lukPQ Gene. Animals (Basel) 2019 Nov 1;9(11).
    doi: 10.3390/ani9110900pubmed: 31683871google scholar: lookup
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