Prevalence and multidrug-resistant profile of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in dogs, cats, and pet owners in Malaysia

Research (Published online: 22-03-2023)

14. Prevalence and multidrug-resistant profile of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in dogs, cats, and pet owners in Malaysia

Mohammad Farzad Afshar, Zunita Zakaria, Chen Hui Cheng, and Nur Indah Ahmad

Veterinary World, 16(3): 536-545

Mohammad Farzad Afshar: Department of Paraclinic, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Kabul University, 1001, Kabul, Afghanistan; Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

Zunita Zakaria: Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

Chen Hui Cheng: Department of Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

Nur Indah Ahmad: Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia.

doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.536-545

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Article history: Received: 06-10-2022, Accepted: 07-02-2023, Published online: 22-03-2023

Corresponding author: Zunita Zakaria

E-mail: zunita@upm.edu.my

Citation: Afshar MF, Zakaria Z, Cheng HC, and Ahmad NI (2023) Prevalence and multidrug-resistant profile of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in dogs, cats, and pet owners in Malaysia, Veterinary World, 16(3): 536-545.

Abstract

Background and Aim: Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius are widespread skin and mucous membrane colonizers and may cause opportunistic infections in humans and animals. This study aimed to identify and characterize methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) isolates from domestic and stray dogs and cats and pet owners in Malaysia using molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial profiling.

Materials and Methods: Three hundred and fifty oral and nasal swabs were taken from pet and stray dogs and cats and pet owners; all samples were subjected to culture and biochemical tests and polymerase chain reaction; the selected isolates were put through disk diffusion test and multilocus sequence typing.

Results: One S. aureus isolate and three S. pseudintermedius isolates were identified as MRSA and MRSP, respectively, of which the MRSA isolate and one of the MRSP isolates showed multidrug resistance and the remaining two MRSP isolates were resistant to one or two antimicrobials. Multilocus sequence typing showed that the MRSA isolate belongs to clonal complex (CC) 789, while for the MRSP isolates, two were in CC45 and one was a singleton.

Conclusion: This study is the first study in Malaysia to perform molecular characterization of MRSP isolated from pet dogs and cats and pet owners. The outcomes of this study reveal that even healthy pet dogs and cats and their owners can be carriers of drug-resistant staphylococci, highlighting the role of pets and pet owners as carriers of MRSA and MRSP in Malaysia.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, methicillin resistance, multilocus sequence typing, public health, zoonotic infections.