A One Health Approach Molecular Analysis of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Reveals Distinct Lineages in Isolates from Miranda Donkeys (<i>Equus asinus</i>) and Their Handlers
Vanessa Silva,
Cláudia Alfarela,
Manuela Caniça,
Vera Manageiro,
Miguel Nóvoa,
Belen Leiva,
Maria Kress,
José Luís Capelo,
Patrícia Poeta,
Gilberto Igrejas
Affiliations
Vanessa Silva
Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Cláudia Alfarela
Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Manuela Caniça
National Reference Laboratory of Antibiotic Resistances and Healthcare Associated Infections (NRL-AMR/HAI), Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Vera Manageiro
National Reference Laboratory of Antibiotic Resistances and Healthcare Associated Infections (NRL-AMR/HAI), Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal
Miguel Nóvoa
AEPGA, Association for the Study and Protection of Asinines, Atenor, 5225-011 Miranda do Douro, Portugal
Belen Leiva
AEPGA, Association for the Study and Protection of Asinines, Atenor, 5225-011 Miranda do Douro, Portugal
Maria Kress
AEPGA, Association for the Study and Protection of Asinines, Atenor, 5225-011 Miranda do Douro, Portugal
José Luís Capelo
BIOSCOPE Group, LAQV@REQUIMTE, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2825-466 Almada, Portugal
Patrícia Poeta
Microbiology and Antibiotic Resistance Team (MicroART), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Gilberto Igrejas
Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
Donkeys (Equus asinus) are in decline in Europe. Occupational exposure to farm animals has been associated with increased staphylococci carriage. We aimed to isolate S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) from donkeys and handlers and characterize the antimicrobial resistance profiles and genetic lineages of S. aureus strains. Oral and nasal swab samples were collected from 49 Miranda donkeys and 23 handlers from 15 different farms. Staphylococci species were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. The presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors was investigated by PCR. Molecular typing was performed in S. aureus isolates. From the 49 donkey samples, 4 S. aureus (8.2%) and 21 CoNS (42.9%) were isolated. Ten handlers (43.5%) were carriers of S. aureus and 4 (17.4%) carried CoNS. The CoNS isolates showed resistance to several classes of antimicrobials encoded by the mecA, aph (3′)-IIIa, ant (4′)-Ia, tetM, tetK, lnuA, ermB, ermC, dfrA and dfrG genes. S. aureus isolates were resistant to penicillin, aminoglicosides and tetracycline harboring the blaZ, aph (3′)-IIIa, tetL, tetM and tetK genes. All S. aureus isolates from donkeys belonged to ST49 and spa-type t208 while the strains isolated from the handlers were ascribed to 3 STs and 7 spa-types. However, human isolates were from different STs than the donkey isolates. Donkeys are mainly colonized by methicillin-resistant S. sciuri. S. aureus transmission between donkeys and their handlers appears not to have occurred since the isolates belonged to different genetic lineages.
