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Veterinary microbiology2005; 109(3-4); 285-296; doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.06.003

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from animals and veterinary personnel in Ireland.

Abstract: Reports of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals have become more frequent in recent years. This paper documents the recovery of MRSA from animals with respiratory, urinary tract or wound infection and from animals subjected to surgical procedures following treatment in one veterinary hospital and 16 private veterinary clinics in different geographical locations throughout Ireland. MRSA was recovered from 25 animals comprising 14 dogs, eight horses, one cat, one rabbit and a seal, and also from 10 attendant veterinary personnel. Clinical susceptibility testing suggested that the 35 isolates fell into two different groups. One group of isolates (Group 1) was resistant to one or more of the following classes of antimicrobials: macrolides, lincosamines, tetracyclines and/or fluoroquinolones. The second group (Group 2) was resistant to macrolides, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines and trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole and variably resistant to fluoroquinolones, lincosamines and rifampicin. One isolate in Group 2 was susceptible to trimethoprim. Epidemiological typing by antibiogram-resistogram (AR) typing, biotyping and by chromosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis using SmaI digestion followed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), confirmed these two major clusters. PFGE analysis showed that most isolates from non-equine animals were indistinguishable from each other and from the isolates from personnel caring for these animals. MRSA was isolated from eight horses which attended six different veterinary practices before referral to an equine veterinary hospital. Isolates from the eight horses and from their attendant personnel had PFGE patterns that were indistinguishable and were unlike the patterns obtained from the other isolates. Comparison of PFGE patterns of isolates from veterinary sources with patterns from MRSA recovered in human hospitals showed that the most frequently occurring pattern of MRSA from non-equine animals was indistinguishable from the predominant pattern obtained from the most prevalent MRSA strain in the human population in Ireland. However, the patterns of the isolates from horses were unlike any patterns previously reported in Irish studies of human isolates. This study shows that transmission of two strains of MRSA is occurring in veterinary practices in Ireland and that one strain may have arisen from human hospitals. The source of the second strain remains to be determined.
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Publication Date: 2005-07-20 PubMed ID: 16026939DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.06.003Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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.

The research article explores the occurrence and spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of bacteria resistant to certain antibiotics, in animals and veterinary personnel in Ireland.

Study Background and Execution

  • The study involved a collection of MRSA samples from animals with infections (respiratory, urinary tract, wound) and those that had undergone surgical procedures. Sampling locations were spread across a veterinary hospital and 16 private veterinary clinics throughout Ireland.
  • Besides animals, MRSA samples were also collected from 10 attending veterinary personnel for a more holistic assessment of MRSA transmission.
  • The animals affected by MRSA included 14 dogs, eight horses, a cat, a rabbit, and a seal.

Clinical Susceptibility and Typing

  • The research identified two groups (Group 1 and Group 2) of MRSA based on their resistance to different classes of antimicrobials. Group 1 showed resistance to one or more of the macrolides, lincosamines, tetracyclines, and/or fluoroquinolones while Group 2 showed resistance to macrolides, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole, and variable resistance to fluoroquinolones, lincosamines, and rifampicin.
  • These groups were confirmed through epidemiological typing methods like antibiogram-resistogram (AR) typing, biotyping, and chromosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Results and Analysis

  • The Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis, which separates large molecules of DNA, revealed that most MRSA isolates from non-equine animals (animals other than horses) were very much alike each other and also those of the personnel taking care of these animals.
  • Eight horses and their attending personnel showed a unique MRSA pattern that differed from other non-equine samples, suggesting that different strains of MRSA were identified in the equine group.
  • Despite the differences, the most common MRSA pattern among non-equine animals was identical to the most frequent MRSA pattern found in humans in Ireland. The MRSA strain from horses, meanwhile, displayed a pattern not previously documented in humans in Ireland.

Conclusions

  • The paper underscores that two strains of MRSA are being spread in veterinary practices in Ireland, with one potentially originating from human hospitals. The source of the second strain found among the horses still needs to be identified.

Cite This Article

APA
O'Mahony R, Abbott Y, Leonard FC, Markey BK, Quinn PJ, Pollock PJ, Fanning S, Rossney AS. (2005). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from animals and veterinary personnel in Ireland. Vet Microbiol, 109(3-4), 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.06.003

Publication

Veterinary microbiology
ISSN: 0378-1135
NlmUniqueID: 7705469
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 109
Issue: 3-4
Pages: 285-296

Researcher Affiliations

O'Mahony, R
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Abbott, Y
    Leonard, F C
      Markey, B K
        Quinn, P J
          Pollock, P J
            Fanning, S
              Rossney, A S

                MeSH Terms

                • Animal Technicians
                • Animals
                • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
                • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
                • Cat Diseases / drug therapy
                • Cat Diseases / epidemiology
                • Cat Diseases / microbiology
                • Cats
                • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
                • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
                • Dog Diseases / drug therapy
                • Dog Diseases / epidemiology
                • Dog Diseases / microbiology
                • Dogs
                • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / veterinary
                • Humans
                • Ireland / epidemiology
                • Methicillin Resistance / genetics
                • Microbial Sensitivity Tests / veterinary
                • Occupational Diseases / microbiology
                • Occupational Exposure
                • Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy
                • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
                • Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
                • Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
                • Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
                • Veterinarians

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