Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
PLoS One. 2019 Sep 6;14(9):e0222031. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222031. eCollection 2019.
A recent study from Sweden showed that European hedgehogs may constitute a reservoir for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), but this host-parasite relationship remains to be investigated in other countries. In this study, we therefore sought to: 1) determine the dissemination of MRSA in European hedgehogs throughout Denmark; 2) investigate determinants of MRSA carriage in hedgehogs; 3) determine the potential for zoonotic transmission of MRSA from hedgehogs to humans; and 4) characterise the detected MRSA on both a phenotypic and molecular level.
Nasal swabs were taken from 188 dead hedgehogs collected by volunteers throughout Denmark to determine the occurrence of MRSA. Additionally, 16 hedgehog rehabilitators were tested for potential zoonotic transmission of MRSA from hedgehogs to humans. The swabs were incubated in tryptic soy broth supplemented with 6.5% NaCl, followed by spread of 10 μl on Brilliance MRSA 2 agar. One presumptive MRSA colony from each plate was subcultured on 5% blood agar. All S. aureus subcultures were verified by a PCR assay detecting mecA, mecC, lukF-PV, scn, and spa, followed by spa typing.
A total of 114 (61%) hedgehogs carried mecC-MRSA, whereas none carried mecA-MRSA. The detected mecC-MRSA belonged to two genetic lineages CC130 (spa-types: t528, t843, t1048, t3256, t3570, t6220, t17133) and CC1943 (spa-types: t978, t2345, t3391, t8835, t16868), 52% of which were spa-type t843 (CC130).The detection rate of mecC-MRSA in the hedgehogs was similar regardless of cause of death, sex, region and habitat type. None of the hedgehog rehabilitators carried MRSA.
This nationwide study confirms a high occurrence of mecC-MRSA in hedgehogs, which could serve as a natural reservoir for this specific type of MRSA. Furthermore, our study did not find signs of zoonotic transmission of mecC-MRSA to hedgehog rehabilitators.
瑞典的一项研究表明，欧洲刺猬可能是耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）的储存宿主，但这种宿主-寄生虫关系在其他国家仍有待研究。在这项研究中，我们因此试图：1）确定丹麦境内欧洲刺猬中 MRSA 的传播情况；2）调查刺猬携带 MRSA 的决定因素；3）确定 MRSA 从刺猬向人类传播的人畜共患潜力；4）在表型和分子水平上描述检测到的 MRSA。
从丹麦各地志愿者收集的 188 只死亡刺猬中采集鼻拭子，以确定 MRSA 的发生情况。此外，还对 16 名刺猬康复者进行了检测，以确定从刺猬向人类传播 MRSA 的人畜共患潜力。将拭子在添加 6.5%NaCl 的胰蛋白酶大豆肉汤中孵育，然后在 Brilliance MRSA 2 琼脂上扩散 10μl。从每个平板上的一个疑似 MRSA 菌落中进行传代培养，在 5%血琼脂上。所有金黄色葡萄球菌传代培养物均通过检测 mecA、mecC、lukF-PV、scn 和 spa 的 PCR 检测进行验证，然后进行 spa 分型。
共有 114 只（61%）刺猬携带 mecC-MRSA，而没有携带 mecA-MRSA。检测到的 mecC-MRSA 属于两个遗传谱系 CC130（spa 型：t528、t843、t1048、t3256、t3570、t6220、t17133）和 CC1943（spa 型：t978、t2345、t3391、t8835、t16868），其中 52%为 spa 型 t843（CC130）。无论死亡原因、性别、地区和栖息地类型如何，刺猬中 mecC-MRSA 的检出率相似。没有发现刺猬康复者携带 MRSA。
这项全国性研究证实了 mecC-MRSA 在刺猬中高频率发生，这可能使其成为这种特定类型 MRSA 的天然储存宿主。此外，我们的研究没有发现 mecC-MRSA 向刺猬康复者传播的人畜共患迹象。
