Distribution and correlation of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci (MRCoPS) between environmental surfaces, veterinary staff and dogs within a veterinary teaching hospital, Thailand

Abstract

\n Background\n\nCoagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS), a gram-positive cocci bacterium, is a group of bacteria causing dermatitis and septicemia in animal. Methicillin-resistant (MR) CoPS (MRCoPS) can find on human, animal and environmental including medical equipment leading to nosocomial infection. This study aimed to determine the distribution and to analyse correlation of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci (MRCoPS) between environmental surfaces, veterinary staff, and dogs within a Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) at Chulalongkorn University (CU) in Bangkok, Thailand. All isolates were characterized the antimicrobial susceptibilities, Staphylococcal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing and clone typing by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE).\nResults\n\nIn total, 88 CoPS isolates were obtained from 53 samples comprising 24 parts of floors (24/53, 45.3%), 14 items of medical instruments (14/53, 26.4%), 14 dogs (14/53, 26.4%) and a veterinarian (1/53, 1.9%). Sixty-two of 88 were MRCoPS locating in the five hospital rooms. The highest MRCoPS species were MR Staphylococcus pseudointermedius (MRSP) isolates (57/62, 91.9%) retrieved from 26 samples and mainly discovered on the floors. Seven antibiogram patterns and two SCCmec types were resolved from 62 MRCoPS isolates. Most of the MRCoPS (93.6%) were resistant to at least three antibiotics. All MR Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans (MRSSc) isolates displayed a triple antibiogram associated with the SCCmec type V, while the MRSP isolates showed various antibiograms and SCCmec types. The S. pseudintermedius in dogs and three rooms were related by their PFGE pattern A. The average percentage of MRCoPS-positive surfaces were typically high on the floors (20%). The dermatological room showed the highest of MRCoPS-positive surfaces on both the floor and medical instruments.\nConclusions\n\nThe distribution of CoPS and MRCoPS has become a relative common situation in veterinary hospitals, and so attention must be paid to limit cross-contamination between patients and the hospital environment. To general; please provide impact of this study digested as a take home message.