Formation and transmission of Staphylococcus aureus (including MRSA) aerosols carrying antibiotic-resistant genes in a poultry farming environment

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2012-06, Vol.426, p.139-145
• Main Authors: Liu, Dunjiang, Chai, Tongjie, Xia, Xianzhu, Gao, Yuwei, Cai, Yumei, Li, Xiaoxia, Miao, Zengming, Sun, Lingyu, Hao, Haiyu, Roesler, Uwe, Wang, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols - analysis; Aerosols of Staphylococcus aureus including MRSA; Air Microbiology; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Animal Husbandry - statistics & numerical data; Animals; Antibiotic-resistance; Antibiotic-resistant genes; Antibiotics; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Chicken farming environment; Drug Resistance, Bacterial - genetics; Environmental Monitoring; Feces; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Indoor; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Microbiology; MRSA; Outdoor; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Poultry; Public health; REP-PCR tracing; Significance to epidemiology and public health; Staphylococcal Infections - transmission; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - classification; Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Strain
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.03.060

There is a rather limited understanding concerning the antibiotic-resistance of the airborne S. aureus and the transmission of the antibiotic-resistant genes it carries Therefore, we isolated 149 S. aureus strains from the samples collected from the feces, the indoor air and the outdoor air of 6 chicken farms, and performed the research on them with 15 types of antibiotics and the REP-PCR trace identification. The 100% homologous strains were selected to conduct the research on the carrying and transmission status of the antibiotic-resistant genes. The results revealed that 5.37% strains (8/149) were resistant to methicillins (MRSA), and 94% strains (140/149) were resistant to compound sulfamethoxazole, etc. In addition, these strains displayed a resistance to multiple antibiotics (4, 5 or 6 types) and there were also 3 strains resistant to 9 antibiotics. It should be noted that the antibiotic-resistance of some strains isolated from the feces, the indoor and outdoor air was basically the same, and the strains with the same REP-PCR trace identification result carried the same type of antibiotic-resistant genes. The results showed that airborne transmission not only causes the spread of epidemic diseases but also exerts threats to the public health of a community. ► The study revealed that 5.37% S. aureus strains (8/149) were resistant to methicillins. ► 94% of the strains (140/149) were resistant to compound sulfamethoxazole. ► Most of the strains (63.8%, 95/149) displayed a resistance to 4–6 antibiotics, and 3 resistant to 9 antibiotics. ► The S. aureus carrying antibiotic-resistant genes could form aerosols and spread to surrounding environment of the farm.