Prevalence of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from dogs with skin and ear infections in South Africa

Abstract

© © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a i _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dedication _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This dissertation is dedicated to those who have supported me during this thesis. My parents, Lisa and Martin Prior, who have been the pillars of support throughout my long years of study. I would not be standing where I am today without your direction and encouragement to fulfil my dreams, "you lose everything when you don't love yourself". My partner, Dr Brittany Fourie, whose unwavering love and kind-heartedness throughout the writing process kept me motivated, "your beauty is undeniable but everything sacred and ancient in you is even more stunning". My friend, colleague, supervisor, Andrew, whose unfaltering patience, wisdom and benevolence throughout the writing process ensured that I always produced nothing but excellence, "your life is captured in a story, the weak trumps the evil villain, your own story should resonate and fill you within. Your story should be providential, not Darwinian". Most importantly and above all else, I thank my heavenly Father for His love and guidance. "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline" -Timothy 1:7. This dissertation is in honour of all of you. © © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a ii _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Declaration of Originality/Plagiarism _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ By submitting this dissertation for the degree MSc (Veterinary Science) at the University of Pretoria, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Pretoria University will not infringe any third party rights, and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification at this or any other tertiary institution. Declaration of originality attached as appendix (chapter 8). © © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a iii

Canine Staphylococcaceae circulating in a Kenyan animal shelter

“…Most of the resistant phenotypes could be linked to specific resistance genes using a RESFinder-based in silico analysis. We did not detect methicillin-resistant strains among the coagulase-positive S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius , although methicillin-resistant canine coagulase-positive staphylococci were reported from other parts of the continent such as West and South Africa ( 31 , 32 ). On the other hand, a resistance toward methicillin was observed in our study for the species M. lentus and M. sciuri conferred by the genes mecA and mecA1 , respectively.…”

The molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius canine clinical isolates submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in South Africa

“…All isolates in this study were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, 87% were MDR, whereas 60.8% were MRSP. The prevalence detected in this study was relatively low when compared to high levels (85.9%) observed among dogs with pyoderma and otitis in South Africa [ 33 ]. High levels of MRSP were detected in this study compared to 14% reported among clinical isolates of dogs in Finland and 30.8% reported among clinical isolates in the United States [ 32 , 34 ].…”