Prevalence, Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles, Virulence and Enterotoxin-Determinant Genes of MRSA Isolated from Subclinical Bovine Mastitis Samples in Egypt

• Main Authors: Abdelazeem M. Algammal, Mohamed E. Enany, Reham M. El-Tarabili, Madeha O. I. Ghobashy, Yosra A. Helmy
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: MRSA; subclinical bovine mastitis; prevalence; antimicrobial resistance; virulence genes; enterotoxins genes
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/5/362

Subclinical mastitis caused by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> has worldwide public health significance. Here, we aimed to determine the prevalence of <i>S. aureus</i>, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and the virulence and enterotoxins determinant genes of MRSA strains that caused subclinical bovine mastitis. Milk samples were collected from 120 lactating animals (50 buffaloes and 70 dairy cattle) from different farms located in Ismailia Province (Egypt). The collected samples were investigated for subclinical mastitis using a California mastitis test. The total prevalence of <i>S. aureus</i> was 35.9% (84/234) with 36.3% (53/146) in cattle and 31% (31/88) in buffaloes. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that 35.7% (30/84) of the isolated strains were resistant to cefoxitin, defined as methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> (MRSA), with 37.7% (20/53) in cattle and 32.2% (10/31) in buffaloes. Using PCR, 100% of the tested strains harbored <i>coa</i> and <i>mecA</i> genes, while 86.6% were positive for <i>spa</i> gene, with remarkable gene size polymorphism. Additionally, 10% of the tested strains contained the <i>pvl</i> gene. Further, using multiplex PCR, 26.6% of the tested samples had <i>sea</i> gene, two strains had sec gene and only one strain had sea and <i>sec</i> genes. The <i>seb</i> and <i>sed</i> genes were absent in the tested strains. In conclusion, <i>mecA, coa</i> and <i>spa</i> virulence genes were widely distributed in MRSA strains isolated from bovine milk, whereas the <i>sea</i> gene was the most predominant enterotoxin gene. Notably, this is the first report that emphasizes the prevalence of <i>pvl</i> gene of MRSA isolated from bovine milk in Egypt.