Abstract
Staphylococcus is one of the most frequently isolated genera of opportunistic bacteria in animals and human beings. Staphylococci in mammals mostly inhabit the skin and mucous membranes. The objectives of the study were to investigate the distribution of staphylococcal species in healthy and sick cats in order to find diagnostic markers. The risk factors associated with colonization were also explored. Isolates from healthy (n=520) and sick cats (n=67) were identified at the species level using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Swabs from conjunctival sacs, nares, skin, anus, and wounds were investigated using this technique. The diversity of the Staphylococcus species was high: 26 and 17 species in healthy and sick cats, respectively, and predominantly coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were isolated. The most frequently observed were S. felis and S. epidermidis in healthy cats, whereas S. felis and S. haemolyticus were most often found in sick animals. S. aureus strains were only isolated from healthy cats, whereas the only coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS) which occurred in the sick cats group was S. pseudintermedius. The sick, more frequently than the healthy animals, were colonized with S. pseudintermedius and S. haemolyticus and the relationship was statistically significant. Mostly, regardless of the state of their health, similar Staphylococcus species were isolated from cats; therefore, particular attention should be paid during the interpretation of diagnostic results.
Highlights
Animals are the natural habitats of complex populations of microorganisms
For a limited number of species for which such an analysis was possible, we identified some risk factors: the higher number of the household’s members for S. aureus and S. equorum; one or more owners working in healthcare or in veterinary healthcare for S. aureus; and dogs or other animals being kept with the cat under investigation for S. felis, S. equorum, and S. nepalensis
This study confirmed that skin, nares, conjunctival sacs, and anus in cats are mainly colonized due to staphylococci
Summary
Between the host and microorganisms, homeostasis is produced which is one of the conditions for a proper and healthy functioning of the body [1]. Continuous interactions between the organism and commensal microorganisms influence the development and regulation of the host’s immune system [1]. Due to the different ways in which the host and the bacterial microflora interact, we have been able to distinguish between the symbiotic, commensal, and opportunistic bacteria [3]. The opportunistic microflora is especially important because under favorable conditions, usually with a decline in the body’s natural immunity or when it enters another organ of body, other than its regular habitat, it can cause an infection to develop. The species composition of the natural bacterial flora depends on the animal’s species, way of feeding and living environments
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