The Prevalence of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and the Occurrence of MRSA CC398 in Monkey Feces in a Zoo Park in Eastern China
Yuanyue Tang,
Zhuang Qiao,
Zhenyu Wang,
Yang Li,
Jingwei Ren,
Liang Wen,
Xun Xu,
Jun Yang,
Chenyi Yu,
Chuang Meng,
Hanne Ingmer,
Qiuchun Li,
Xinan Jiao
Affiliations
Yuanyue Tang
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zhuang Qiao
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zhenyu Wang
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yang Li
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Jingwei Ren
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Liang Wen
Yangzhou Ecological Zoo, Zhu Yu Wan Road 888, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xun Xu
Yangzhou Ecological Zoo, Zhu Yu Wan Road 888, Yangzhou 225009, China
Jun Yang
Yangzhou Ecological Zoo, Zhu Yu Wan Road 888, Yangzhou 225009, China
Chenyi Yu
Yangzhou Ecological Zoo, Zhu Yu Wan Road 888, Yangzhou 225009, China
Chuang Meng
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Hanne Ingmer
Department of Veterinary and Animal Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark
Qiuchun Li
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xinan Jiao
Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agri-Food Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Yangzhou University, Wenhui East Road 48, Yangzhou 225009, China
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the important antibiotic resistant pathogens causing infections in humans and animals. The increasing observation of MRSA in wildlife species has raised the concern of its impact on animal health and the potential of zoonotic transmission. This study investigated the prevalence of S. aureus in fecal samples from non-human primates in a zoo located in Jiangsu, China, in which 6 out of 31 (19.4%) fecal samples, and 2 out of 14 (14.3%) indoor room floor swab samples were S. aureus-positive. The antibiotic susceptibility tests of the eight isolates showed that the two isolates were resistant to both penicillin and cefoxitin, the three isolates were resistant only to penicillin, while three isolates were susceptible to all detected antibiotics. The two isolates resistant to cefoxitin were further identified as MRSA by the presence of mecA. Five different spa types were identified including t034 of two MRSA isolates from Trachypithecus francoisi, t189 of two methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates from Rhinopithecus roxellana, t377 of two MSSA isolates from Colobus guereza, and two novel spa types t19488 and t19499 from Papio anubis. Whole genome sequencing analysis showed that MRSA t034 isolates belonged to ST398 clustered in clonal complex 398 (CC398) and carried the type B ΦSa3 prophage. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the two MRSA t034/ST398 isolates were closely related to the human-associated MSSA in China. Moreover, two MRSA isolates contained the virulence genes relating to the cell adherence, biofilm formation, toxins, and the human-associated immune evasion cluster, which indicated the potential of bidirectional transfer of MRSA between monkeys and humans. This study is the first to report MRSA CC398 from monkey feces in China, indicating that MRSA CC398 could colonize in monkey and have the risk of transmission between humans and monkeys.
