Mallardo Karina, Nizza Sandra, Fiorito Filomena, Pagnini Ugo, De Martino Luisa
Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Infectious Diseases Section, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy, Via F. Delpino 1-80137 Naples, Italy.
Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Mar;3(3):169-73. doi: 10.1016/S2221-1691(13)60044-1.
To investigate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) which is a potencial risk factor of transmission between animals and humans in different types of horses (harness racing-horses, breeding mares and riding-horses) and to compare the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates.
A total of 191 healthy horses, housed at different locations of the Campania Region (Italy), were included in the study. Nasal swab samples were collected from each nostril of the horses. The mecA gene was detected by a nested PCR technique. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested for each isolate.
MRS was isolated from nasal samples of 68/191 (35.6%; 95% CI: 28.9%-42.9%) healthy horses. All isolates were coagulase-negative with the exception of two coagulase-positive MRS strains, identified as Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, 2/83 (2.4%; 95% CI: 0.4%-9.2%). Interestingly, both coagulase-positive MRS isolates were from harness racing-horses. These horses also presented a significantly higher positivity for MRS (53.3%; 95% CI: 40.1%-66.1%) than the breeding mares and riding-horses groups. Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed difference between isolates due to different origins except for an almost common high resistance to aminopenicillins, such as ampicillin and amoxicillin.
It can be concluded that harness racing-horses may act as a significant reservoir of MRS as compared to breeding mares and riding-horses.
调查耐甲氧西林葡萄球菌（MRS）的流行情况，其是动物与人类之间传播的潜在危险因素，在不同类型的马匹（赛马、繁殖母马和骑乘马）中进行调查，并比较分离株的抗菌药物耐药性。
共有191匹健康马匹纳入研究，这些马匹饲养在意大利坎帕尼亚地区的不同地点。从每匹马的每个鼻孔采集鼻拭子样本。通过巢式PCR技术检测mecA基因。对每个分离株进行抗生素敏感性测试。
从68/191（35.6%；95%可信区间：28.9%-42.9%）匹健康马匹的鼻样本中分离出MRS。除了两株凝固酶阳性MRS菌株外，所有分离株均为凝固酶阴性，这两株菌株分别鉴定为金黄色葡萄球菌和伪中间葡萄球菌，2/83（2.4%；95%可信区间：0.4%-9.2%）。有趣的是，两株凝固酶阳性MRS分离株均来自赛马。这些马匹的MRS阳性率（53.3%；95%可信区间：40.1%-66.1%）也显著高于繁殖母马和骑乘马组。抗生素敏感性测试显示，除了对氨苄西林和阿莫西林等氨基青霉素几乎普遍具有高耐药性外，不同来源的分离株之间存在差异。
可以得出结论，与繁殖母马和骑乘马相比，赛马可能是MRS的重要储存宿主。
