Antibiogram and molecular typing of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from occupational livestock handlers in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Hian, Chai Min, Muhammad Zikree, Sukiman, Noor Muzamil, Mohamad, Shean, Choong Siew, Siti Mariam, Zainal Ariffin, Mohd Faizal, Ghazali
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Q Science (General); QR Microbiology
• Online Access: http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/4268/1/FH03-FBIM-21-55601.pdf; http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/4268/

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic bacterium that causes a wide range of infections. Recently, the emergence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MDRSA) in animal farming industry has become an increasing public health concern worldwide. Nevertheless, data regarding the genotypes of MDRSA isolated from occupational livestock exposure is limited. The objectives of this study were to identify the antibiotic resistant patterns and characterize the dominant staphylococcal protein A (spa), accessory gene regulator (agr) and immune evasion cluster (IEC) types of MDRSA isolated from veterinarians, abattoir and livestock farm workers in Malaysia. Thirty MDRSA isolates from 420 animal handlers were involved in this study. S. aureus isolates were confirmed via PCR amplification of the nuc gene. S. aureus isolates showing resistant towards more than 3 antimicrobial groups, were categorized as multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains using the disk-diffusion assay. The genomic DNA of the bacteria isolates was extracted using simple boiling method. The genotypes of the MDRSA were confirmed using spa and agr typing. PCR detection of IEC, including scn, sak, chp, sea and sep genes were carried out to determine the IEC types of MDRSA isolates. Antibiogram have shown that MDRSA isolates were resistant towards tetracycline, erythromycin and β-lactam antibiotics. A total of 17 different spa types were detected among the 30 MDRSA, with t189 (16.7%) been the predominant spa types. 66.6% of MDRSA belong to agr I while 33.3% were from agr II. Meanwhile, the predominant IEC type was type E (16.7%).