Abstract
From the mid-2000s on, numerous studies have shown that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), renowned as human pathogen, has a reservoir in pigs and other livestock. In Europe and North America, clonal complex (CC) 398 appears to be the predominant lineage involved. Especially worrisome is its capacity to contaminate humans in close contact with affected animals. Indeed, the typical multi-resistant phenotype of MRSA CC398 and its observed ability of easily acquiring genetic material suggests that MRSA CC398 strains with an increased virulence potential may emerge, for which few therapeutic options would remain. This questions the need to implement interventions to control the presence and spread of MRSA CC398 among pigs. MRSA CC398 shows a high but not fully understood transmission potential in the pig population and is able to persist within that population. Although direct contact is probably the main route for MRSA transmission between pigs, also environmental contamination, the presence of other livestock, the herd size, and farm management are factors that may be involved in the dissemination of MRSA CC398. The current review aims at summarizing the research that has so far been done on the transmission dynamics and risk factors for introduction and persistence of MRSA CC398 in farms.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus is a major facultative pathogen, which is associated with a wide spectrum of diseases in both humans and animals (Mandell et al, 2000; Hermans et al, 2010)
The current review aims at summarizing the research that has so far been done on the transmission dynamics and risk factors for introduction and persistence of methicillinresistant S. aureus (MRSA) CC398 in farms
community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) strains differ from hospital-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) strains since they have a different accessory genome, carry different staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements, affect different populations, and cause other clinical symptoms (Enright et al, 2002; Graffunder and Venezia, 2002; Grundmann et al, 2002; Okuma et al, 2002; Naimi et al, 2003; Robinson and Enright, 2003; Vandenesch et al, 2003; Ito et al, 2004; Tenover et al, 2006; Wijaya et al, 2006; Tacconelli et al, 2008; Witte, 2009; Yamamoto et al, 2010)
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus is a major facultative pathogen, which is associated with a wide spectrum of diseases in both humans and animals (Mandell et al, 2000; Hermans et al, 2010). Cases of MRSA were reported among people without healthcareassociated risk factors, now-called community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) (Udo et al, 1993; Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention (CDC) (1999); Chambers, 2001; Okuma et al, 2002; Kluytmans-VandenBergh and Kluytmans, 2006). Five clonal complexes (CCs), CC5, CC8, CC22, CC30, and CC45, were shown to prevail among HA-MRSA isolates while several genetic backgrounds (CC1, CC8, CC30, CC59, CC80, and CC93) were associated to the epidemic spread of CA-MRSA (Enright et al, 2002; Robinson and Enright, 2003; Vandenesch et al, 2003; Deurenberg and Stobberingh, 2009; Witte, 2009; David and Daum, 2010). The first isolation of MRSA was reported in 1972 from cases of bovine mastitis, with isolates that were believed to be from human origin
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