Correlation between animal nasal carriage and environmental methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates at U.S. horse and cattle farms.
Abstract: Animals on farms may be a potential reservoir and environmental source of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Expanded surveillance methods for animal-associated MRSA are needed. To develop an environmental sampling method and to determine the correlation between animal and environmental MRSA positivity in the farm setting, we sampled horses, cattle, and their local environments at several farms in the mid-Atlantic United States. We obtained nasal swabs from 13 racehorses at first visit, and 11 racehorses at the same farm eight weeks later. We also sampled 26 pleasure horses and 26 beef cattle from two additional farm sites. Sterilized electrostatic cloths were used to collect dry dust samples from environmental surfaces in proximity to animals; cloths were cultured using a broth enrichment protocol. We described isolates by genotype and antimicrobial susceptibility phenotype. None of the samples (nasal or environmental) were positive from the pleasure horse farm or the cattle farm. On the racehorse farm, 8/13 (61%) nasal and 5/7 (71%) environmental samples were positive for MRSA at the first visit. Isolates found were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotype. We observed significant positive correlation between nasal carriage of MRSA in animals and our ability to isolate MRSA from dry surface samples of their local environments. The methods presented here may aid in surveillance efforts for equine and other animal MRSA. This study successfully applies existing MRSA surveillance methods for indoor, high animal density settings to outdoor and low-density farms.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2012-06-30 PubMed ID: 22795260DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.06.032Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research paper discusses a study conducted to determine the connection between MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) presence in animals and their environment on farms in the U.S. The specific aim was to monitor MRSA in horses and cattle and see if any correlation could be seen in their surrounding habitats.
Methodology
- Researchers sampled horses and cattle along with their local environments on various farms, specifically in the mid-Atlantic area of the United States.
- Nasal swabs were taken from racehorses on two separate visits, eight weeks apart. Moreover, pleasure horses and beef cattle from two additional farm sites were also sampled.
- Dry dust samples from environmental surfaces in proximity to the animals were collected using sterilized electrostatic cloths and cultured using a broth enrichment protocol.
- The isolates were identified based on genotype and antimicrobial susceptibility phenotype.
Findings
- None of the samples, whether nasal or environmental, from the pleasure horse farm or the cattle farm tested positive for MRSA.
- On the racehorse farm, over half of the nasal samples and nearly three-quarters of the environmental samples tested positive for MRSA during the first visit.
- The isolates found in the racehorse environment were identical when categorized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genotype.
- A significant positive correlation was observed between nasal carriage of MRSA in animals and the researchers’ ability to isolate MRSA from dry surface samples of their local environments.
Conclusion
- This study demonstrates the potential applicability of these surveillance methods to track MRSA in equine and potentially other animal populations.
- Current MRSA surveillance strategies used for indoor, high animal density environments can successfully be applied to outdoor and low-density farms.
- The positive correlation between MRSA presence in animals and their environments suggests that the animals may be the source of MRSA in their surroundings.
Cite This Article
APA
Peterson AE, Davis MF, Awantang G, Limbago B, Fosheim GE, Silbergeld EK.
(2012).
Correlation between animal nasal carriage and environmental methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates at U.S. horse and cattle farms.
Vet Microbiol, 160(3-4), 539-543.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.06.032 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. amp7@cdc.gov
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
- Cattle
- Cattle Diseases / epidemiology
- Cattle Diseases / microbiology
- Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
- Environmental Microbiology
- Genes, Bacterial / genetics
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / physiology
- Nose / microbiology
- Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology
- Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
- Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
- United States / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Tsiklauri R, Kobakhidze S, Tsereteli M, Jimsherishvili L, Kakabadze N, Koulouris S, Kotetishvili M. Genome data cross-contamination versus interdomain recombination: Equus caballus and Mus musculus genetic loci in the insertion sequence-rich genomes of two clonally related methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from China. BMC Microbiol 2025 Apr 27;25(1):251.
- 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.
- Silva V, Correia S, Rocha J, Manaia CM, Silva A, García-Díez J, Pereira JE, Semedo-Lemsaddek T, Igrejas G, Poeta P. Antimicrobial Resistance and Clonal Lineages of Staphylococcus aureus from Cattle, Their Handlers, and Their Surroundings: A Cross-Sectional Study from the One Health Perspective. Microorganisms 2022 Apr 30;10(5).
- Davis MF, Pisanic N, Rhodes SM, Brown A, Keller H, Nadimpalli M, Christ A, Ludwig S, Ordak C, Spicer K, Love DC, Larsen J, Wright A, Blacklin S, Flowers B, Stewart J, Sexton KG, Rule AM, Heaney CD. Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in swine and swine workplace environments on industrial and antibiotic-free hog operations in North Carolina, USA: A One Health pilot study. Environ Res 2018 May;163:88-96.
- Rahimi H, Dastmalchi Saei H, Ahmadi M. Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus : Frequency and Antibiotic Resistance in Healthy Ruminants. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2015 Oct;8(10):e22413.
- van Balen J, Mowery J, Piraino-Sandoval M, Nava-Hoet RC, Kohn C, Hoet AE. Molecular epidemiology of environmental MRSA at an equine teaching hospital: introduction, circulation and maintenance. Vet Res 2014 Mar 19;45(1):31.
- van Rijen MM, Kluytmans JA. Adjustment of the MRSA Search and Destroy policy for outpatients in the Netherlands: a prospective cohort study with repeated prevalence measurements. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2014 Jan 15;3(1):3.
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