ABSTRACT
Objective:To determine the prevalence, genetic relatedness, and pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA) isolated from household dogs, farm dogs, and stray dogs, compared to isolates from their associated personnel. Methods: MRSA was isolated from 250 nasal swabs (150 swabs from dogs and 100 swabs from humans). PCR assays were used to detect the presence of both the nuc and mecA genes, which confirmed the identity of S. aureus isolates and the presence of methicillin resistance, respectively. Disk diffusion was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility against 15 antimicrobial agents along with an E-test that determined the minimum inhibitory concentration for oxacillin. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was conducted to determine the genetic relatedness of MRSA isolates from dogs to those from associated and unassociated personnel. Results:The prevalence of S. aureus in dogs and humans was 12.7%and 10.0%respectively, while the prevalence of MRSA isolates in dogs and humans was 5.3%and 5.0%, respectively. The prevalence of MRSA isolates in household dogs, farm dogs, and stray dogs was 7.8%, 4.7%, and 0.0%, respectively. MRSA isolates demonstrated a significantly higher rate of multi-resistance against three or more antimicrobial agents than methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). Trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and chloramphenicol were the most effective antibiotics against all MRSA isolates. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed a strong association between dog MRSA isolates and MRSA isolates from strongly associated personnel. Conclusions:MRSA is prevalent in house dogs, as well as in dog rearing centers and among their strongly associated personnel. A strong association was found between the MRSA isolates from dogs and those from humans who are in close contact. In addition, MRSA isolates showed a high rate of multi-resistance compared to MSSA isolates.