Molecular Epidemiological Characteristics of <i>Staphylococcus pseudintermedius</i>, <i>Staphylococcus coagulans,</i> and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Cultured from Clinical Canine Skin and Ear Samples in Queensland
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Infections in dogs caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) present limited treatment options. This study’s objective was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. cultured exclusively from clinical canine...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/14/1/80 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background/Objectives:</b> Infections in dogs caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) present limited treatment options. This study’s objective was to investigate the molecular epidemiology of <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. cultured exclusively from clinical canine skin and ear samples in Queensland, Australia, using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). <b>Methods:</b> Forty-two <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. isolated from clinical canine skin and ear samples, from an unknown number of dogs, were sourced from two veterinary diagnostic laboratories between January 2022 and May 2023. These isolates underwent matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation– time of flight bacterial identification, minimum inhibitory concentration testing using Sensititre<sup>TM</sup> plates and WGS. Phylogenetic trees and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) minimum spanning trees (MSTs) were constructed. <b>Results:</b> The isolates included methicillin-resistant and -sensitive <i>S. pseudintermedius</i> (MRSP: 57.1%, 24/42; and MSSP: 19.1%, 8/42), methicillin-resistant and -sensitive <i>S. coagulans</i> (MRSC: 14.3%, 6/42; and MSSC: 2.4%, 1/42) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS: 7.1%, 3/42). Thirty-nine isolates were included after WGS, where all MRS harboured the <i>mecA</i> gene. Eighteen sequence types (STs) were identified, including three novel MRSP and six novel MSSP STs. MRSP ST496-V-VII (23%; 9/39) and MRSP ST749-IV-(IVg) (12.8%; 5/39) were commonly isolated. Phylogenetic analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms showed that MRSP, MRSC and MSSC were similar to globally isolated staphylococci from canine skin and ear infections. Using cgMLST MSTs, MRSP isolates were not closely related to global strains. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our findings revealed a genotypically diverse geographical distribution and phylogenetic relatedness of staphylococci cultured from clinical canine skin and ear samples across Queensland. This highlights the importance of ongoing surveillance to aid in evidence-based treatment decisions and antimicrobial stewardship. |
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| ISSN: | 2079-6382 |