Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a widespread pathogen that could cause different illnesses in both human and animals. Presence of MRSA in animals raises concerns of their capacity to act as reservoirs, particularly in wild animals. This study aimed to characterize the resistance and virulence patterns of S. aureus strains isolated from bat guano in Algeria. From March to May 2016, 98 bat guano samples from Aokas’s cave (Bejaia, Algeria) were collected. Swabs were taken for microbiological studies. Isolates were identified by Vitek® MS system, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion method. The clonal origin, virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles of S. aureus isolates were characterized by whole genome sequencing. Eleven S. aureus strains were obtained from the 98 guano samples. Seven isolates were sensitive to all antibiotics tested and four (36.3%) were resistant to penicillin G, cefoxitin and fusidic acid. The four MRSA isolates were assigned to the sequence type ST149 and related to spa type t010. These isolates harbored a SCCmecIV element and the fusidic acid resistance element Q6GD50 (fusC). They carried different virulence genes including several enterotoxins (sea, egc enterotoxin locus, sec, sel), and the toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst). Our results highlight that bat guano may constitute an important reservoir of MRSA strains.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus can colonize and/or infect human and animals and this bacterium is considered as one of the most serious public health threats [1,2,3]
The four remaining isolates were resistant to penicillin G, cefoxitin and fusidic acid (Table S1)
The four Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were submitted to whole genome sequencing to determine their genetic determinants
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus can colonize and/or infect human and animals and this bacterium is considered as one of the most serious public health threats [1,2,3]. S. aureus represents a frequently occurring pathogen isolated in various samples, and it is the second most common pathogen in the community [4]. S. aureus (MRSA) has emerged and diffused rapidly in hospitals just after the introduction of penicillin M [4,5]. To date, this MRSA is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens, causing high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1,4]. ST5 and ST239, USA300, and ST398 are the frequently encountered clones in the healthcare-associated MRSA (HAMRSA), the community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) and the livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA), respectively [4,5]
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