Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
Vet Microbiol. 2012 Feb 24;155(1):81-7. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.08.010. Epub 2011 Aug 19.
The objective of the study was to investigate reservoirs and transmission of S. aureus in ewes and lambs in 3 meat sheep flocks. Repeated sampling of milk, teat skin, nasal- and vaginal mucous membranes was performed and samples were analysed for S. aureus. For comparison, samples were also collected from cows and young heifers in 3 dairy cattle herds. Selected isolates were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). S. aureus was detected in 8 (1.5%) of 520 milk samples from ewes and in 38 (6.4%) of 588 milk samples from cows. From body site swabs, S. aureus was found in 394 (32.6%) of 1208 samples from sheep and in 67 (16.0%) of 420 samples from cattle. The proportion of S. aureus-positive nasal swabs from ewes and cows were 56.7% and 13.9%, respectively. From lambs, 58.2% of the nasal swabs were S. aureus-positive. In each flock, one S. aureus pulsotype predominated. Identical S. aureus pulsotypes were found in milk and from body sites. Paired S. aureus isolates from the nasal cavity of (i) ewes and their lambs, (ii) twins and (iii) from repeated swabs of individual ewes were compared by PFGE, and in the majority of cases the two isolates were identical. The results contribute new knowledge indicating frequent transmission of S. aureus between the dam and her lambs and within animals in a flock. In contrast to cattle, S. aureus is frequently present in the nose of sheep which may represent the primary reservoir of S. aureus in sheep flocks.
本研究旨在调查 3 个肉用绵羊群中绵羊和羔羊的金黄色葡萄球菌（S. aureus）储存库和传播途径。对牛奶、乳头皮肤、鼻腔和阴道黏膜进行了重复采样，并对金黄色葡萄球菌进行了分析。为了进行比较，还从 3 个奶牛群中采集了奶牛和青年小母牛的样本。通过脉冲场凝胶电泳（PFGE）对选定的分离株进行了比较。从 520 份绵羊奶样中检测到 8 份（1.5%）金黄色葡萄球菌，从 588 份奶牛奶样中检测到 38 份（6.4%）金黄色葡萄球菌。从身体部位拭子中，从 394 份（32.6%）绵羊样本和 67 份（16.0%）奶牛样本中发现了金黄色葡萄球菌。绵羊和奶牛的金黄色葡萄球菌阳性鼻腔拭子比例分别为 56.7%和 13.9%。从羔羊中，58.2%的鼻腔拭子呈金黄色葡萄球菌阳性。在每个羊群中，均有一种金黄色葡萄球菌脉冲型占主导地位。从牛奶和身体部位均发现了相同的金黄色葡萄球菌脉冲型。通过 PFGE 比较了（i）母羊及其羔羊、（ii）双胞胎和（iii）来自个体母羊重复拭子的鼻腔内金黄色葡萄球菌配对分离株，在大多数情况下，两个分离株是相同的。这些结果提供了新的知识，表明金黄色葡萄球菌在母羊与其羔羊之间以及羊群中的动物之间频繁传播。与奶牛不同，金黄色葡萄球菌经常存在于绵羊的鼻腔中，这可能是绵羊群体中金黄色葡萄球菌的主要储存库。
