Multidrug-resistant enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus lineages isolated from animals, their carcasses, the personnel, and the environment of an abattoir in Greece

Abstract

This study investigated genetic relatedness among Staphylococcus aureus from livestock, their carcass’ surfaces after slaughter, personnel, and equipment of a Greek abattoir. Genotyping was performed using PFGE, MLST, spa, and SCCmec. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined according to EUCAST guidelines. Genes encoding staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were detected by PCRs. From 392 samples, 46 S. aureus were recovered, 10 from workers, 6 from animals, 10 from carcass’, and 20 from equipment’s surfaces. Resistance to tetracycline was 80.4%, whereas, 58.7% of isolates were multi-drug resistant. Eleven isolates (23.9%) were MRSA, 8 mecA- and 3 mecC-positive. Fifteen PFGE and 13 spa types were identified, classified in 10 sequence types (STs). ST80 predominated among MSSA, and ST88-IV clone among MRSA. Fifteen strains (32.6%) carried enterotoxin genes 7 of them possessed also the PVL genes. The abattoir seems to play important role in the transmission of S. aureus between animals and humans. Practical applications: Antibiotic susceptibility, clonality, and toxin profiles among Staphylococcus aureus recovered from humans, animals, resulting carcasses and environmental surfaces of an abattoir were assessed. Our results showed spread of multi-resistant toxigenic strains belonging to human and animals’ origin clones, indicating that the abattoir might be the reservoir for their transmission with potential negative impact on consumers’ health. The establishment and implementation of strict hygiene rules in the farms and during the slaughtering process in the abattoirs could control spread of virulent S. aureus strains. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.