Methicillin-Resistant and -Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type 398 in Pigs and Humans

Volume 14, Number 3–March 2008

Dispatch

Methicillin-Resistant and -Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Sequence Type 398 in Pigs and Humans

Alex van Belkum,* Damian C. Melles,* Justine K. Peeters,* Willem B. van Leeuwen,* Engeline van Duijkeren,† Xander W. Huijsdens,‡ Emile Spalburg,‡ Albert J. de Neeling,‡ and Henri A. Verbrugh,* on behalf of the Dutch Working Party on Surveillance and Research of MRSA (SOM)1
*University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; †University of Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; and ‡National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus sequence type 398 (ST398 MRSA) was identified in Dutch pigs and pig farmers. ST398 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus circulates among humans at low frequency (0.2%) but was isolated in 3 human cases of bacteremia (2.1%; p = 0.026). Although its natural host is probably porcine, ST398 MRSA likely causes infections in humans.


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Conclusions
The massive colonization of Dutch pigs with a single sequence type of MRSA was unexpected (12). Molecular strain typing was initially compromised because PFGE failed (14). Spa gene sequencing (13) showed heterogeneity in the ST398 MRSA lineage with types t011 and t108, which are closely related, covering >75% of all isolates. Hence, 1 or 2 new MRSA lineages had been discovered. We found a degree of genetic association between spa types and the presence of certain SCCmec cassettes, which suggests bacterial evolution and horizontal DNA exchange in the zoonotic reservoir.

We found that ST398 is rare among Dutch MSSA strains colonizing healthy persons (2 [0.2%] of 829 strains). However, a relatively high number of MSSA isolates homologous to the ST398 MRSA were derived from bacteremic patients (3 [2.1%] of 146; p = 0.026). These 3 bacteremia isolates were not related epidemiologically; they were isolated from different patients in different medical departments over an extended period. This finding suggests that these MSSA strains are quite virulent. The strict segregation of ST398 strains (Figure 1, panel A; Figure 2) corroborates that the strains belong to a separate biotype associated with pigs (15).

Our findings pose a warning to public health surveillance: if the ST398 MSSA virulence toward humans would be maintained within the ST398 MRSA lineage from pigs, care should be taken not to introduce this strain into humans. We consider it to be likely that ST398 MRSA from pigs is capable of causing serious infection in humans even though its primary host seems to be pigs.

Dr van Belkum is with the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His research interests include MRSA.

References

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http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/3/479.htm


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)


http://staphmrsa.blogspot.com/2008/03/iceid-2008-methicillin-resistant.html


ICEID 2008 Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Leafy Greens and Meats

International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases 2008
Slide Sessions and Poster Abstracts


http://staphmrsa.blogspot.com/2008/03/iceid-2008-foodborne-disease-outbreaks.html


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