Comparison of the Staphylococcal Chromosome Cassette (SCC) <i>mec</i> in Methicillin-Resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) and Non-<i>aureus</i> Staphylococci (MRNAS) from Animals and Humans
Cyrille Ngassam Tchamba,
Jean-Noël Duprez,
Pierrick Lucas,
Yannick Blanchard,
Filip Boyen,
Freddy Haesebrouck,
Maria A. Argudín,
Jacques Mainil,
Damien Thiry
Affiliations
Cyrille Ngassam Tchamba
Bacteriology, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Fundamental and Applied Research in Animals and Health (FARAH), University of Liège, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem 6, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Jean-Noël Duprez
Bacteriology, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Fundamental and Applied Research in Animals and Health (FARAH), University of Liège, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem 6, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Pierrick Lucas
Viral Genetics and Bio-Security Unit, ANSES, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, Rue des Fusillés, 22440 Ploufragan, France
Yannick Blanchard
Viral Genetics and Bio-Security Unit, ANSES, Ploufragan-Plouzané Laboratory, Rue des Fusillés, 22440 Ploufragan, France
Filip Boyen
Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Freddy Haesebrouck
Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
Maria A. Argudín
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Catholic University of Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
Jacques Mainil
Bacteriology, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Fundamental and Applied Research in Animals and Health (FARAH), University of Liège, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem 6, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Damien Thiry
Bacteriology, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Fundamental and Applied Research in Animals and Health (FARAH), University of Liège, Quartier Vallée 2, Avenue de Cureghem 6, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and non-aureus staphylococci (MRNAS) cause different infections in animals, including mastitis, in livestock and humans. This study aimed to identify and compare the staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) types of MRSA or MRNAS isolated from several animal species and humans in different countries. Of 1462 S. aureus and non-aureus staphylococci, 68 grew on Chrom MRSA ID® agar, were phenotypically resistant to cefoxitin and tested positive with the PCR for the mecA gene. These 60 MRSA and 8 MRNAS were isolated in Belgium mainly from cows (livestock-associated (LA) MRS) and humans (community-acquired (CA) MRS) and in Japan from dogs and cats. The SCCmec cassettes were identified by multiplex PCR in 52 MRSA and 7 MRNAS and by whole genome sequencing (WGS) in 8 additional MRSA. The SCCmec types IV and V were the most frequent in Belgian LA-MRS and CA-MRS, while the SCCmec type II was identified in four of the five Japanese MRSA. The remaining isolate was a bovine S. haemolyticus in which no SCCmec was identified. These results confirm the high prevalence of the SCCmec types IV and V in LA-MRS and CA-MRS in Belgium, emphasizing the possible public health hazard of the former, and the absence of SCCmec in some MRNAS.
