Farm-specific lineages of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 in Danish pig farms

TY - JOUR

T1 - Farm-specific lineages of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 in Danish pig farms

AU - Espinosa-Gongora, Carmen

AU - Larsen, J.

AU - Moodley, Arshnee

AU - Nielsen, Jens Peter

AU - Skov, R. L.

AU - Andreasen, M.

AU - Guardabassi, Luca

PY - 2012/10

Y1 - 2012/10

N2 - The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Dust and pigs at five age groups were sampled in six Danish MRSA-positive pig farms. MRSA CC398 was isolated from 284 of the 391 samples tested, including 230 (74%) animal and 54 (68%) environmental samples. PFGE analysis of a subset of 48 isolates, including the six strains previously isolated from farm workers, revealed the existence of farm-specific pulsotypes. With a single exception, human, environmental and porcine isolates originating from the same farm clustered together in the PFGE cluster analysis, indicating that spread of MRSA CC398 in Danish pig farms is mainly due to clonal dissemination of farm-specific lineages that can be discriminated by PFGE. This finding has important implications for planning future epidemiological studies investigating the spread of CC398 in pig farming.

AB - The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex (CC) 398 using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Dust and pigs at five age groups were sampled in six Danish MRSA-positive pig farms. MRSA CC398 was isolated from 284 of the 391 samples tested, including 230 (74%) animal and 54 (68%) environmental samples. PFGE analysis of a subset of 48 isolates, including the six strains previously isolated from farm workers, revealed the existence of farm-specific pulsotypes. With a single exception, human, environmental and porcine isolates originating from the same farm clustered together in the PFGE cluster analysis, indicating that spread of MRSA CC398 in Danish pig farms is mainly due to clonal dissemination of farm-specific lineages that can be discriminated by PFGE. This finding has important implications for planning future epidemiological studies investigating the spread of CC398 in pig farming.

KW - Former LIFE faculty

KW - Antibiotic resistance

KW - MRSA

KW - Swine

KW - zoonoses

U2 - 10.1017/s0950268811002391

DO - 10.1017/s0950268811002391

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22117120

SN - 0950-2688

VL - 140

SP - 1794

EP - 1799

JO - Epidemiology and Infection

JF - Epidemiology and Infection

IS - 10

ER -