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The nasal vestibulum is the optimal sampling site for MRSA screening in hospitalised horses.
Abstract: The increased incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in equine hospitals highlights the need for infection control protocols based on optimal patient screening. In horses, the deep ventral meatus of the nasal cavity is the principal site sampled to detect MRSA. However, in humans, the anterior nares are the preferred sampling site. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal sampling location in the nasal chambers for MRSA in horses by comparing the results obtained from three different locations (the vestibulum, diverticulum and ventral meatus) in 240 hospitalised animals. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and epidemiological typing were conducted on representative subsets of the isolates obtained. Compared to the more invasive ventral meatus sampling (relative sensitivity 68.9%; isolation rate 37.9%), vestibulum (RS 81.1%; IR 44.6%, P=0.13) and diverticulum (RS 52.3%; IR 28.8%, P=0.03) sampling were more or less sensitive, respectively. In total, 132 horses (55%) were MRSA positive with the vast majority (98.5%) carrying genotyped isolates of the livestock-associated (LA)-MRSA clonal complex (CC) 398, and only a minority (1.5%) CC8. Of the 22 MLST typed isolates, five belonged to a novel ST2197 (t011, CC398). Although 93.9% of the isolates were multi-resistant (to β-lactam, tetracycline, trimethoprim, and gentamicin), <5% were resistant to virtually all antimicrobials commonly used in equine medicine. The study findings indicate that detection of MRSA in horses may be enhanced by replacing the traditional deep sampling of the ventral nasal meatus by the less invasive approach of sampling the nasal vestibulum.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2013-03-07 PubMed ID: 23465751DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.01.031Google 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
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 researchers found that swabbing the nasal vestibulum (entrance of the nostrils) is the most effective location for screening horses for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacteria that’s resistant to several widely used antibiotics.
Research Purpose
This study aimed to determine the best location within a horse’s nasal chambers for the detection of MRSA. This was conducted due to the rising rates of MRSA infections in equine hospitals, a serious concern requiring optimal patient screening protocols.
Sampling Locations and Methodology
- Researchers compared MRSA detection results obtained from three different locations within the nasal chambers of 240 hospitalized horses. These locations included the vestibulum (entrance of the nostrils), ventral meatus (deep inside the nasal cavity), and diverticulum (a pouch or cavity).
- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted on the bacterial samples gathered. This test assesses the effect of particular antibiotics on bacterial growth, helping identify effective treatment options.
- Epidemiological typing was also done on a subset of the bacterial strains obtained – a method of identifying and categorizing bacteria types based on genetic make-up.
Findings
- Compared to the invasive ventral meatus sampling technique, vestibulum sampling was found to be more sensitive in detecting MRSA.
- A total of 55% of the horses were found to be carrying MRSA. The vast majority of these horses had a livestock-associated MRSA variant, while a minority carried a different variant.
- Some of the MRSA strains found belonged to a new type, indicating the continually evolving nature of the bacteria.
- While most of the MRSA strains were resistant to several common antibiotics, less than 5% were resistant to virtually all antibiotics frequently used in equine medicine.
Conclusion
The study suggests that the best way to improve MRSA detection in horses is by replacing the invasive deep nasal sampling technique with the less disruptive vestibulum sampling. This new learning can help improve control measures in equine hospitals by enabling quicker, more accurate MRSA detection.
Cite This Article
APA
Van den Eede A, Hermans K, Van den Abeele A, Floré K, Dewulf J, Vanderhaeghen W, Némeghaire S, Butaye P, Gasthuys F, Haesebrouck F, Martens A.
(2013).
The nasal vestibulum is the optimal sampling site for MRSA screening in hospitalised horses.
Vet J, 197(2), 415-419.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.01.031 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Surgery and Anaesthesiology of Domestic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Annelies.VandenEede@Ugent.be
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Genotype
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Hospitals, Animal
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
- Nose / microbiology
- Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
- Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Allano M, Arsenault J, Archambault M, Fairbrother JH, Sauvé F. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Colonization in Horses Admitted to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. J Vet Intern Med 2025 May-Jun;39(3):e70027.
- 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.
- Van Crombrugge E, Vanbeylen E, Van Cleemput J, Van den Broeck W, Laval K, Nauwynck H. Bacterial Toxins from Staphylococcus aureus and Bordetella bronchiseptica Predispose the Horse's Respiratory Tract to Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 Infection. Viruses 2022 Jan 14;14(1).
- Ochoa SA, Cruz-Córdova A, Mancilla-Rojano J, Escalona-Venegas G, Esteban-Kenel V, Franco-Hernández I, Parra-Ortega I, Arellano-Galindo J, Hernández-Castro R, Perez-López CF, De la Rosa-Zamboni D, Xicohtencatl-Cortes J. Control of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Associated With a Hospital Outbreak Involving Contamination From Anesthesia Equipment Using UV-C. Front Microbiol 2020;11:600093.
- Lakhundi S, Zhang K. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Molecular Characterization, Evolution, and Epidemiology. Clin Microbiol Rev 2018 Oct;31(4).
- Boyle AG, Rankin SC, Duffee LA, Morris D. Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Equine Nasopharyngeal and Guttural Pouch Wash Samples. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Sep;31(5):1551-1555.
- Islam MZ, Espinosa-Gongora C, Damborg P, Sieber RN, Munk R, Husted L, Moodley A, Skov R, Larsen J, Guardabassi L. Horses in Denmark Are a Reservoir of Diverse Clones of Methicillin-Resistant and -Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. Front Microbiol 2017;8:543.
- Schmithausen RM, Kellner SR, Schulze-Geisthoevel SV, Hack S, Engelhart S, Bodenstein I, Al-Sabti N, Reif M, Fimmers R, Körber-Irrgang B, Harlizius J, Hoerauf A, Exner M, Bierbaum G, Petersen B, Bekeredjian-Ding I. Eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and of Enterobacteriaceae expressing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases on a model pig farm. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015 Nov;81(21):7633-43.
- Toombs-Ruane LJ, Riley CB, Kendall AT, Bolwell CF, Benschop J, Rosanowski SM. Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Aerobic Isolates from Respiratory Samples of Young New Zealand Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Nov-Dec;29(6):1700-6.
- Steinman A, Masarwa S, Tirosh-Levy S, Gleser D, Kelmer G, Adler A, Carmeli Y, Schwaber MJ. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus spa Type t002 Outbreak in Horses and Staff at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital after Its Presumed Introduction by a Veterinarian. J Clin Microbiol 2015 Sep;53(9):2827-31.
- 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.
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