Drivers and Dynamics of Methicillin-Resistant Livestock-Associated Staphylococcus aureus CC398 in Pigs and Humans in Denmark

Abstract

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex CC398 (LA-MRSA CC398) is resistant to nearly all β-lactams and several non-β-lactam antimicrobials. Over the last decade, it has become widespread in pig farms across Europe and is now an important cause of human infections in countries with previously low levels of MRSA, such as the Netherlands and Denmark. The hitherto uncontrolled spread of LA-MRSA CC398 underscores an urgent need to understand its epidemiology in order to develop evidence-based interventions. This study demonstrates that pig movements between farms in combination with increased bacterial resistance to specific antibiotics and heavy metals were important drivers of the rapid spread of LA-MRSA CC398 in the Danish pig production system. These findings should be taken into consideration when researchers and policy makers evaluate and decide on actions and policies to limit the spread of LA-MRSA CC398 and other pathogens in food animals.

Dynamics of Livestock-Associated Methicillin ResistantStaphylococcus aureusin pig farms networks: insight from mathematical modeling and French data

“…Pig movements between farms are believed to be one of the main factors of MRSA dynamics in the pig industry 21 . Moreover, recent modelling work underlined the importance of considering within-farm dynamics when studying between-farms spread of MRSA 25 .…”

“…As pigs are suspected to act as a reservoir for LA-MRSA 18 , understanding the spread dynamics of LA-MRSA within and between pig farms is key to being able to design proper surveillance and control measures. In particular, the major impact of pig movements on the spread dynamics of LA-MRSA between farms has been underlined [19][20][21] .…”

Livestock-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a New Impendence for Public Health

“…Устойчивость определяется генами ermC, ermA и ermB, продуктами которых являются метилазы, осуществляющие модификацию 50S субъединиц рибосом [41]. Среди LA-MRSA CC398 описана устойчивость к фторхинолонам, присущая отдельным линиям в составе клонального комплекса и определяемая мутациями в составе гена gyrA, продукт которого является мишенью противомикробных соединений данной группы [42].…”

“…Изоляты LA-MRSA CC398 характеризуются наличием генов, продукты которых определяют устойчивость к антибиотикам групп аминоглиозидов и линкозамидов, генов aadD и aadE и гена lnuB соответственно. Продукты этих генов осуществляют химическую модификацию антибиотиков, в результате которой они утрачивают противомикробную активность [42]. Также распространена устойчивость к стрептограмину [42].…”

Gut carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes in women exposed to small-scale poultry farms in rural Uganda: a feasibility study

“…Antibiotics are widely used in livestock farming to enhance animal health and increase productivity [6], and this practice is thought to be a major contributor to the problem of AMR among humans. However, most available studies are cross-sectional and/or focused on single organisms or pathogens [7-9], and these study designs lack the ability to determine causality. More robust study designs are needed to determine the effect size that antimicrobials used in livestock farms has on transmission of AMR genes to humans.…”