Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus in urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations: Epidemiology and the impacts of kill‐trapping

Urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations can carry the bacteria methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). There are numerous knowledge gaps in the epidemiology of MRSA in these populations that limit understanding of its ecology in urban environments. For example, fecal shedding of MRSA, which may increase environmental contamination, has been reported in other species; however, it is unknown whether Norway rats carry the bacteria rectally. Furthermore, while intermittent MRSA shedding has been shown in other species and may dictate when the risk of transmission is highest, duration of carriage has not been examined for Norway rats. Previous work has shown that lethal animal‐control methods may increase the level of pathogens within reservoir populations, possibly by disrupting ecological patterns. However, the impact of rodent‐control on potentially environmentally acquired pathogens like MRSA has not been tested. Using capture‐mark‐recapture methods in an inner‐city neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada, we show that rats intermittently carry MRSA both in the rectum and oropharynx. By assessing the prevalence of MRSA before and after enacting a pest‐control intervention, we report that kill‐trapping had no impact on the prevalence of carriage of this environmentally‐acquired agent.     

新疆、内蒙古部分地区乳房炎奶样中金黄色葡萄球菌的流行性与耐药性分析

为确定患乳房炎奶牛乳中金黄色葡萄球菌的流行性和耐药性状况,试验自2018年4月至2018年5月采集了新疆地区70例和内蒙古地区50例患乳房炎奶牛生鲜乳样。通过对奶样中金黄色葡萄球菌进行增菌培养、分离纯化,KB纸片扩散法药敏试验及PCR耐药基因检测发现,新疆和内蒙古地区奶样中金黄色葡萄球菌分离率分别为28.6%和54.0%;新疆地区分离的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株对青霉素G的耐药性最高(75.0%),其次是磺胺异噁唑(60.0%)、林可霉素(55.0%);内蒙古地区的金黄色葡萄球菌菌株同样对青霉素G高度耐受,耐药率为70.4%,其次为林可霉素(63.0%)、克林霉素(51.9%);两地区所分离菌株中,88.9%以上携带多种耐药基因,呈现多重耐药性;两地区所检出的高频耐药基因分别是新疆地区的ermA(30.0%)、dfrS1(30.0%)基因和内蒙古地区的lnuA(46.2%)基因。     

Low prevalence of zoonotic multidrug‐resistant bacteria in veterinarians in a country with prudent use of antimicrobials in animals

The occurrence of multidrug‐resistant zoonotic bacteria in animals has been increasing worldwide. Working in close contact with livestock increases the risk of carriage of these bacteria. We investigated the occurrence of extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL) and plasmidic AmpC beta‐lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL/pAmpC‐PE) and livestock‐associated methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA‐MRSA) in Finnish veterinarians (n = 320). In addition to microbiological samples, background information was collected. Bacterial whole genome sequencing was performed to deduce sequence types (STs), spa types and resistance genes of the isolates. In total, 3.0% (9/297) of the veterinarians carried ESBL producing Escherichia coli, with one ESBL producing E. coli isolate producing also AmpC. Seven different STs, sequences of several different plasmid groups as well as several different bla_ESBL/pAmpC genes existed in different combinations. No carbapenemase or colistin resistance genes were detected. MRSA was detected in 0.3% (1/320) of the samples. The strain belonged to LA‐MRSA clonal complex (CC) 398 (ST398, spa type 011, lacking Panton‐Valentine leukocidin genes). In conclusion, this study shows low carriage of multidrug‐resistant zoonotic bacteria in Finnish veterinarians. However, finding LA‐MRSA for the first time in a sample from a veterinarian in a country with prudent use of animal antimicrobials and regarding the recent rise of LA‐MRSA on Finnish pig farms, a strong recommendation to protect people working in close contact with animals carrying LA‐MRSA CC398 is given. Further studies are needed to explain why the prevalence of LA‐MRSA in veterinarians is lower in Finland than in other European countries.     

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria in an equine hospital (2012–2015)

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are an emerging threat in human and veterinary medicine. There are few reports about infections caused by MDR isolates in horses. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of infections caused by MDR bacteria at the Equine Hospital Zurich between 2012 and 2015. Medical records were searched for horses with confirmed MDR bacterial infection. Multidrug resistance was defined according to human guidelines specific for each pathogen. MDR isolates were most commonly isolated from post-procedural infections (53/110, 48%), followed by musculoskeletal (16/110, 15%) and soft tissue infections (16/110, 15%). Escherichia coli (32/158, 20%) and Staphylococcus aureus (25/158, 16%) were the most common isolates. High resistance rates precluded therapy with commonly used antimicrobial drugs. The overall mortality rate was 20% (22/108) but depended on the localisation of the infection. Antimicrobial treatment prior to development of infection was reported for 89% (91/102) of horses. This study showed that MDR pathogens, mainly MDR E. coli and MRSA, cause a considerable number of infections in horses. A wide range of infections was seen, however, nosocomial infections predominated. These cases are typically hospitalised, pretreated with antibiotics, and suffering from comorbidities putting them at high-risk for acquiring infections caused by MDR isolates. The mortality of such infections was generally low but depended on site of infection.     

Biofilm production by pathogens associated with canine otitis externa,and the antibiofilm activity of ionophores and antimicrobial adjuvants

Otitis externa (OE) is a frequently reported disorder in dogs associated with secondary infections by Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and yeast pathogens. The presence of biofilms may play an important role in the resistance of otic pathogens to antimicrobial agents. Biofilm production of twenty Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and twenty Pseudomonas aeruginosa canine otic isolates was determined quantitatively using a microtiter plate assay, and each isolate was classified as a strong, moderate, weak or nonbiofilm producer. Minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) of two ionophores (narasin and monensin) and three adjuvants (N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), Tris‐EDTA and disodium EDTA) were investigated spectrophotometrically (OD_570nm) and quantitatively (CFU/ml) against selected Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas biofilm cultures. Concurrently, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of planktonic cultures were assessed. 16/20 of the S. pseudintermedius clinical isolates were weak biofilm producers. 19/20 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates produced biofilms and were distributed almost equally as weak, moderate and strong biofilm producers. While significant antibiofilm activity was observed, no MBEC was achieved with narasin or monensin. The MBEC for NAC ranged from 5,000–10,000 µg/ml and from 20,000–80,000 µg/ml against S. pseudintermedius and P. aeruginosa, respectively. Tris‐EDTA eradicated P. aeruginosa biofilms at concentrations ranging from 6,000/1,900 to 12,000/3,800 µg/ml. The MBEC was up to 16‐fold and eightfold higher than the MIC/MBC of NAC and Tris‐EDTA, respectively. Disodium EDTA reduced biofilm growth of both strains at concentrations of 470 µg/ml and higher. It can be concluded that biofilm production is common in pathogens associated with canine OE. NAC and Tris‐EDTA are effective antibiofilm agents in vitro that could be considered for the treatment of biofilm‐associated OE in dogs.     

利血平增敏法检测恩诺沙星药物残留的研究

目的了解恩诺沙星对金黄色葡萄球菌(金葡菌)的抗菌活性及利血平对其抗菌活性的影响。方法采用对倍稀释浓度琼脂平板法测定抗菌药物的最低抑菌浓度(MIC)值,同法测定利血平对恩诺沙星对金葡菌MIC值的影响。结果利血平可有效增强恩诺沙星的抗菌活性,增大了恩诺沙星抑制金葡菌的抑菌圈直径,提高了恩诺沙星在组织中检测的灵敏度。研究发现利血平加入后中心浓度由0.5ul/ml变为0.0625ul/ml,最低检测限由0.125μg/ml降低到0.015625μg/ml。最低检测限减低了8倍。     

Exfoliation rate of mammary epithelial cells in milk on bovine mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus is associated with bacterial load

The exfoliation rate of mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in milk is affected by physiological, breeding and environmental factors. Little is known about the relationship between the MEC exfoliation into milk and mammary‐infected Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) load on bovine mastitis caused by S. aureus. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between S. aureus load and the proportion of MEC exfoliation in milk using five substantial bovine mastitis models. In 64 randomly extracted milk samples from udders at 3–21 days after S. aureus infusion, there were various samples with different numbers of S. aureus counts and somatic cell counts. No significant correlations were found between the S. aureus counts and somatic cell count (r = 0.338). In contrast, a significant correlation was noted between S. aureus counts and the proportion of cytokeratin‐positive cells in the milk from the infused udders (r = 0.734, P < 0.01). In conclusion, the increasing MEC exfoliation rate in milk from mastitis udders caused by S. aureus may contribute to reduced milk yield.     

Identical genotypes of community‐associated MRSA (ST59) and livestock‐associated MRSA (ST9) in humans and pigs in rural China

This study investigated the prevalence of MRSA in samples taken in households, with and without backyard pigs in villages in a rural area of Shandong Province, China. Community‐associated MRSA and livestock‐associated MRSA, belonging to ST59 and ST9, respectively, were identified in both humans and pigs. The genotypic and phenotypic comparison of isolates indicates that bidirectional transmission of MRSA has occurred between humans and pigs in the villages.     

金黄色葡萄球菌诱导型乳腺炎对中国荷斯坦奶牛乳中脂肪酸组成的影响

本文旨在研究金黄色葡萄球菌诱导型乳腺炎对中国荷斯坦奶牛乳中脂肪酸组成及其绝对含量的影响。根据奶牛乳房结构,试验组利用通乳针将金黄色葡萄球菌细菌悬液经乳头管注射入奶牛乳房内,建立诱导型金黄色葡萄球菌型乳腺炎模型,对照组灌注磷酸盐缓冲液,采用气相色谱法测定乳中的脂肪酸绝对含量。结果表明:乳中共检出34种脂肪酸,金黄色葡萄球菌诱导对感染乳区脂肪酸合成产生直接影响。按不饱和度和碳链长度划分的6大类脂肪酸中,试验组在感染后11 h与感染前24 h相比,短链脂肪酸、中链脂肪酸和饱和脂肪酸的绝对含量均显著降低(P0.05);对照组有相同变化趋势,但除短链脂肪酸外均未达到显著水平(P0.05)。感染后23 h试验组6大类脂肪酸的绝对含量均低于对照组。结果提示:金黄色葡萄球菌诱导型乳腺炎影响了奶牛脂肪酸的合成过程,降低了脂肪酸各组分的绝对含量。     

Phenotypic and genotypic traits of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from pig carcasses

A total of 142 S. aureus strains isolated from pig carcasses from abattoirs A (n = 98) and B (n = 44) were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic traits. Phenotypically, 96% showed yellow-pigmented colonies, 63% β/δ hemolysis, 85% were egg yolk-positive and 99% were positive for clumping factor/protein A. Only 25% of the strains were resistant to the antimicrobials tested (abattoir A: 19%; abattoir B: 39%), especially to penicillin and ampicillin. None of the strains harbored the mecA gene, which is conserved in methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The biofilm associated genes icaA, icaD and bap were present in 100%, 100% and 0% of the strains. Genes for staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) were detected in 51% (abattoir A) and 14% of the strains (abattoir B). Among strains harboring SE genes (n = 56), 63%, 31%, 4% and 2% tested positive for seg/sei, seg, sei and sec, respectively. The amplification of the 3′ end of the coagulase gene (coa) yielded amplicons of 400, 436, 602, 682 or 776 bp. Coa restriction profile (CRP) analysis using HaeIII resulted in seven patterns (a–d, e1–e3). CRP (c) was detected most frequently at both abattoirs, whereas CRP (a) was restricted to abattoir A and CRP (e3) to abattoir B. In the slaughter process (abattoir B), (i) two CRPs (b and d) were only found before dehairing/singeing, and (ii) four CRPs (c, e1–e3) were identified throughout the process. The genotyping revealed a remarkable homogeneity in S. aureus strains from the two different abattoirs and the slaughter process stages. These results may be explained by the distribution of a limited number of S. aureus genotypes in the pig population. Moreover, as the predominant CRPs (c, e1–e3) persisted throughout the slaughter process in abattoir B, it may be hypothesized that these types are characterized by colonization advantages.