J Vet Sci.  2014 Dec;15(4):529-536. 10.4142/jvs.2014.15.4.529.

Occurrence and characterization of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pig industries of northern Thailand

• Patchanee
• Tadee P
• Arjkumpa O
• Love D
• Chanachai
• Alter T
• Hinjoy S
• Tharavichitkul P

• KMID: 2070239
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2014.15.4.529

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs, farm workers, and the environment in northern Thailand, and to assess LA-MRSA isolate phenotypic characteristics. One hundred and four pig farms were randomly selected from the 21,152 in Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces in 2012. Nasal and skin swab samples were collected from pigs and farm workers. Environmental swabs (pig stable floor, faucet, and feeder) were also collected. MRSA was identified by conventional bacterial culture technique, with results confirmed by multiplex PCR and multi locus sequence typing (MLST). Herd prevalence of MRSA was 9.61% (10 of 104 farms). Among pigs, workers, and farm environments, prevalence was 0.68% (two of 292 samples), 2.53% (seven of 276 samples), and 1.28% (four of 312 samples), respectively. Thirteen MRSA isolates (seven from workers, four from environmental samples, and two from pigs) were identified as Staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec IV sequences type 9. Antimicrobial sensitivity tests found 100% of the MRSA isolates resistant to clindamycin, oxytetracycline, and tetracycline, while 100% were susceptible to cloxacillin and vancomycin. All possessed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. This is the first evidence of an LA-MRSA interrelationship among pigs, workers, and the farm environment in Thailand.

Keyword

environment; MRSA; pigs; Thailand; workers

MeSH Terms

*Animal Husbandry
Animals
Cross-Sectional Studies
Genotype
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/classification/*genetics/*isolation & purification
Microbial Sensitivity Tests/veterinary
Molecular Sequence Data
Multilocus Sequence Typing/veterinary
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary
Occupational Diseases/*epidemiology/microbiology
Phylogeny
Prevalence
Sequence Analysis, DNA/veterinary
Staphylococcal Infections/*epidemiology/microbiology
Swine
Swine Diseases/*epidemiology/microbiology
Thailand/epidemiology

Figure

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  Fig. 1 SCCmec-specific multiplex PCR results for worker, pig, and environment samples. M, marker; W1N13.1 and W1A12.1, worker; FN29.1, pig; R10.1, environment.

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  Fig. 2 Phylogenetic tree showing the relationships of MRSA ST9 from pigs, farm workers, and the environment of pig farms in Chiang Mai and Lamphun (Thailand) with 68 MRSA isolates from Thailand over the S. aureus multi locus sequence typing website. ST: sequence type.

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  Fig. 3 Antimicrobial susceptibility test results for the MRSA isolates from pig farms in Chiang Mai and Lamphun (Thailand). OB; cloaxacillin, VA; vancomycin.

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  Fig. 4 Proportion of multi-drug resistant MRSA isolates from pig farms in Chiang Mai and Lamphun (Thailand).

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