Wild Animals Are Reservoirs and Sentinels of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA Clones: A Problem with "One Health" Concern

Background: The availability of comprehensive data on the ecology and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus/MRSA in wild animals is necessary to understand their relevance in the "One Health" domain. Objective: In this study, we determined the pooled prevalence of nasal, tracheal and/or oral (NTO) Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage in wild animals, with a special focus on mecA and mecC genes as well as the frequency of MRSA and methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) of the lineages CC398 and CC130 in wild animals. Methodology: This systematic review was executed on cross-sectional studies that reported S. aureus and MRSA in the NTO cavities of wild animals distributed in four groups: non-human primates (NHP), wild mammals (WM, excluding rodents and NHP), wild birds (WB) and wild rodents (WR). Appropriate and eligible articles published (in English) between 1 January 2011 to 30 August 2021 were searched for from PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, SciElo and Web of Science. Results: Of the 33 eligible and analysed studies, the pooled prevalence of NTO S. aureus and MRSA carriage was 18.5% (range: 0-100%) and 2.1% (range: 0.0-63.9%), respectively. The pooled prevalence of S. aureus/MRSA in WM, NHP, WB and WR groups was 15.8/1.6, 32.9/2.0, 10.3/3.4 and 24.2/3.4%, respectively. The prevalence of mecC-MRSA among WM/NHP/WB/WR was 1.64/0.0/2.1/0.59%, respectively, representing 89.9/0.0/59.1/25.0% of total MRSA detected in these groups of animals.The MRSA-CC398 and MRSA-CC130 lineages were most prevalent in wild birds (0.64 and 2.07%, respectively); none of these lineages were reported in NHP studies. The MRSA-CC398 (mainly of spa-type t011, 53%), MRSA-CC130 (mainly of spa types t843 and t1535, 73%), MSSA-CC398 (spa-types t571, t1451, t6606 and t034) and MSSA-CC130 (spa types t843, t1535, t3625 and t3256) lineages were mostly reported. Conclusion: Although the global prevalence of MRSA is low in wild animals, mecC-mediated resistance was particularly prevalent among MRSA isolates, especially among WM and WB. Considering the genetic diversity of MRSA in wild animals, they need to be monitored for effective control of the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus ST3320 clone causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits

<em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> is a well-known pathogen that infects humans and animals. However, information on the fatal respiratory infection in rabbits caused by<em> S. aureus</em> is still limited. In the present study, a <em>S. aureus</em> isolate designated ND01 was recovered from lung samples of rabbits that died of fatal respiratory infection, and the ND01 was characterised by intranasal infection of rabbits, multi-locus sequencing typing, screening virulence genes and testing antimicrobial susceptibility. Clinical signs of matted forepaws and pathological lesions of haemorrhagic tracheitis and necrotising haemorrhagic pneumonia were observed in the ND01 infected rabbits, which were identical to those of naturally infected ones. The sequence type of the ND01 was defined as ST3320 and the ND01 was further grouped into the clonal complex 398. Notably, the ND01 was <em>pvl-positive</em> <em>S. aureus</em> and carried the human-associated scn gene. Moreover, the ND01 was methicillin-susceptible <em>S. aureus</em> and was susceptible to 6 of 10 tested antibiotics. This study described the characteristics of the ND01 causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits. The results are helpful to further the understanding of the pathogenicity of S. aureus ST3320 clone in rabbits. The results also highlighted that operators must be on the alert for the colonisation of <em>pvl-positive</em> <em>S. aureus</em> in rabbits and potential transmission events between rabbits and humans.

Staphylococcus Spp. from Wild Mammals in Aragón (Spain): Antibiotic Resistance Status

Introduction

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat. It has been studied in humans and domestic animals, but there is a lack of data on wild animals. The objective of this study is the elucidation of its patterns in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from wild mammals of the Autonomous Community of Aragón (Spain).

Material and Methods

A total of 103 mammals (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Chiroptera, Erinaceomorpha, and Lagomorpha) were studied. A recovery centre provided 32 and hunting 71. Nasal and faecal samples yielded 111 staphylococci, which were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. A susceptibility test to 11 antibiotics was carried out, and statistical analysis was performed.

Results

Some differences were detected in bacterial prevalence depending on how the mammal fed. Artiodactyla, mainly hunted, were predisposed to carry coagulase-positive staphylococci. The staphylococci species recovered were resistant to at least two classes of antibiotics, and were disseminated in all of the geographical areas studied.

Conclusion

Resistant staphylococci are widely distributed in the wild mammals in the areas of the study, but the resistance quantified in them is lower than that to be expected if the use of antibiotics in farms had a direct influence on the wildlife and its environment. On the other hand, resistance to antibiotics restricted to human use was widely disseminated in various wild animal species.

Marked Presence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Wild Lagomorphs in Valencia, Spain

Simple Summary

The presence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, such as Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin (MRSA), is becoming an increasing everyday concern for their implications for human and animal health. This is even more alarming when such bacteria are isolated in wild animals which, in principle, should not come into contact with antibiotics. This work studied 353 rabbits and 10 hares hunted in rabbit high-density areas. Of these, 41.3% carried S. aureus in some sampled locations, of which 63.3% were MRSA. These are surprising results given the unexpected high presence of MRSA in the studied animals. This finding is very worrying because these animals tend to enter the food chain with no veterinary control, which implies a risk for human health. Thus it is necessary to extend this study to other, less-populated areas with other animal species (ruminants, rabbit predators, hunting dogs, etc.) or even water sources to obtain further knowledge about the origin of bacterial resistances in nature.

Abstract

The appearance of methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in several animal species (including rabbits) has set off alarms for their capacity to act as reservoirs for this bacterium. This is especially important in wild animals given its epidemiological implications. The objectives of this study were to identify and characterize S. aureus, specifically MRSA, strains in wild lagomorph high-density areas. Ten hares and 353 wild rabbits from 14 towns with a high rabbit density in the Valencian region (eastern Spanish coast) were sampled. Swabs from the nasal cavity, ears, perineum and lesions (when present) were taken for microbiological studies. The detection of different genes and antibiotic susceptibility studies were also carried out. Of all the animals, 41.3% were positive for S. aureus, of which 63.3% were MRSA. Ears were the anatomical location with more S. aureus and MRSA strains. The more frequently identified MLST type was ST1945 (97.1%, 136/140). The mecA gene was found only in one sample. The rest (n = 139) carried the mecC gene and were included in CC130, except one. Penicillin resistance was detected in 28 mec-negative isolates and, in one case, bacitracin resistance. mecA isolate presented resistance to enrofloxacin and tetracycline, and 10 mecC isolates also showed bacitracin resistance. No MRSA isolate was positive for genes chp, sea, tst and PVL. Two ST1945 isolates contained IEC type E (comprising genes scn and sak). mecA-isolate was positive for blaZ. Of the 28 MSSA strains showing resistance to penicillin, 22 carried the blaZ gene. These surprising results highlight the marked presence of MRSA strains in wild rabbits in high-density areas.

Mastitis on Rabbit Farms: Prevalence and Risk Factors

In this cross-sectional study, prevalence of clinical mastitis (PCM) and farm-specific risk factors were determined on 531 doe rabbit farms in Spain and Portugal, from January 2001 through March 2017. The information was obtained by carrying out 2367 visits and doing physical examinations of 144,455 lactating does, sorted in 2635 cohorts. Overall mean PCM was 4.05% (CI95% [3.87⁻4.22]), (minimum to maximum: 0⁻36.00% PCM). This study suggests that PCM was influenced by the variable number of batches (a batch was a group of does served the same day), per maternity barn (p < 0.0001). The duo system (does being moved to clean disinfected barns for parturition), was also an enabling risk factor for CM. The day of service or lactation stage also affected PCM. Lastly, there was an effect of the breeds or lines (p < 0.0001); mean PCM ranged between 1.29% and 7.09%. A subset of data obtained from 200 farms visited during January 2012⁻March 2017, was recorded to describe the use of antimicrobials against mastitis. Changes in host, husbandry, environment, and biosecurity practices, are highlighted to provide health and welfare benefits for breeding rabbits.