Virulence, agr groups, antimicrobial resistance and epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis

Felipe Mendes Zorzi; Luiz Francisco Zafalon; Franklin Bispo Santos; Arthur Ferreira Borges; Ticiano Gomes Nascimento; Irinaldo Diniz Basílio-Júnior; Elsa Masae Mamizuka; Lara Mendes Almeida

doi:10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2021.186701

Authors

Felipe Mendes Zorzi Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia,, Pirassununga – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3042-1856
Luiz Francisco Zafalon Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, São Carlos – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4645-3588
Franklin Bispo Santos Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Complexo de Ciências Médicas, Arapiraca – AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7007-4644
Arthur Ferreira Borges Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Maceió – AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5934-2652
Ticiano Gomes Nascimento Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Maceió – AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3856-8764
Irinaldo Diniz Basílio-Júnior Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Maceió – AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2385-3842
Elsa Masae Mamizuka Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, São Paulo – SP, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9378-8818
Lara Mendes Almeida Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Maceió – AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9027-5221

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2021.186701

Keywords:

MSSA, MIONSA, Accessory gene regulator (agr), Bovine mastitis

Abstract

Fifty-two Staphylococcus aureus recovered from papillary ostium and milk samples collected from cows with subclinical mastitis and milking environments in three small dairy herds located in southeastern Brazil were subjected to PCR identification based on the thermonuclease (nuc) gene. All the strains were submitted to in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and we investigated the sequence types (STs), agr groups (I-IV), virulence genes encoding for Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecules (MSCRAMMs), biofilm-associated proteins, bi-component toxins, pyrogenic toxin superantigens, and enterotoxins. Screening for oxacillin resistance (2-6 μg/ml oxacillin), beta-lactamase activity assays, and PCR for the mecA/mecC genes detected 26 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and 26 mec-independent oxacillin-nonsusceptible S. aureus (MIONSA). While MSSA isolates were found to be susceptible to all antimicrobial agents tested, or only resistant to penicillin and ampicillin, MIONSA isolates were multidrug-resistant. ST126-agr group II MSSA isolates were prevalent in milk (n=14) and carried a broad set of virulence genes (clfA, clfB, eno, fnbA, fiB, icaA, icaD, lukED, hla, and hlb), as well as the ST126-agr group II MIONSA isolated from milking liners (n=1), which also carried the eta gene. ST1-agr group III MIONSA isolates (n=4) were found in papillary ostium and milk, but most MIONSA isolates (n=21), which were identified in both papillary ostium and milking liners, were agr-negative and assigned to ST126. The agr-negative and agr group III lineages showed a low potential for virulence. Studies on the characterization of bovine-associated MSSA/MIONSA are essential to reduce S. aureus mastitis to prevent economic losses in dairy production and also to monitor the zoonotic potential of these pathogens associated with invasive infections and treatment failures in healthcare.

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Virulence, agr groups, antimicrobial resistance and epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis

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