Molecular Characterization and Antimicrobial Resistance Prof ile of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Retail Chicken

Abstract

The emergence of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in food-producing animals is of increasing interest, raising questions about the presence of MRSA in food of animal origin and potential sources of transmission to humans via the food chain. In this study, the prevalence, molecular characterization, virulence factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of MRSA isolates from 200 retail raw chicken samples in Egypt were determined. MRSA was detected by positive amplification of the mecA gene in 38% (76 of 200) of chicken samples analyzed. This represents a potential public health threat in Egypt, as this contamination rate seems to be the highest among other studies reported worldwide. Furthermore, genes encoding α-hemolysin (hla) and staphylococcal enterotoxins (sea, seb, and sec) were detected in all of the 288 MRSA isolates. Nonetheless, none of the strains tested carried tst, the gene encoding toxic shock syndrome toxin 1. Antimicrobial resistance of MRSA isolates was most frequently detected against penicillin (93.4%), ampicillin (88.9%), and cloxacillin (83.3%). These results suggest that retail chicken might be a significant potential source for transmission of multidrug-resistant and toxigenic S. aureus in Egypt. This underlines the need for stricter hygienic measures in chicken production in Egypt to minimize the risk of transmission of these strains to consumers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the isolation and molecular characterization of MRSA in retail chicken samples in Egypt.

Retracted: Antibiotic resistance properties and genotypic characterization of enterotoxins in the Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from traditional sweets

“…Consequently, the resistance levels found in this study can be explained by the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in humans treating diseases, which is a worrying trend. Similar antibiotic resistance pattern of the S. aureus strains isolated from different types of sweet, candy, and ready to eat food samples have also been reported from Brazil (Kroning et al, ), Iran (Dehkordi et al, ), Italy (Paludi et al, ), Egypt (Sallam, Abd‐Elghany, Elhadidy, & Tamura, ), USA (Jackson, Davis, & Barrett, ), and Nigeria (Fowoyo & Ogunbanwo, ). Fowoyo and Ogunbanwo () reported that the S. aureus strains isolated from ready to eat foodstuffs exhibited the high prevalence of resistance against ampicillin (86.70%), trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (74.90%), amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (52.50%), cefotaxime (3.50%), oxacillin (35.70%), ciprofloxacin (23.90%), erythromycin (15.70%), gentamicin (11.40%), and ofloxacin (7.10%).…”

Variety of Antimicrobial Resistances and Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Meat Products Legally and Illegally Introduced to Germany

“…Virtually all of the isolates used in this study originated from countries in the aforementioned regions. In particular, all mecA -positive isolates were of Egyptian origin, where a high contamination rate with MRSA has been reported for retail chicken meat, possibly due to insufficient hygiene during handling as well as ample use of antimicrobial agents [29]. Notably, many of our samples appeared to be home-made, where adherence to hygienic standards during slaughter and handling is likely to be inferior when compared to commercially produced meat.…”

Characterization of Coa Gene and Antimicrobial Profiles of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from Bovine Clinical and Subclinical mastitis

“…Pcr assay: PCR assay was performed for the detection of the nuc (encoding for the S. aureus-specific thermonuclease) gene and coa gene encoding for coagulase as previously described by Sallam et al (2015) and Himabindu et al (2009), respectively. The primers sequences (Hokkaido System Science Co.Ltd., Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan and Metabion, Germany) and its amplicons size are listed in Table 1 12.5 µl master mix (Thermo scientific, USA); 1 µl of each primer; 2 µl DNA template and volume of the reaction mixture was completed to 25 µl using DNase/RNase-free water.…”