The purpose of this study was to provide current data on Staphylococcus species from the vaginas of clinically normal captive lion tamarins and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates. Samples were collected from 25 adult lion tamarins, processed to isolate Staphylococcus species, and tested for susceptibility to penicillin G, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, ampicillin, and rifampicin. Isolates with the typical characteristics of the genus Staphylococcus were recovered from all 25 samples. Coagulase-negative species were the most common (68% of the isolates), and the most frequently isolated species (10 samples) was S. simulans. Other coagulase-negative species, including S. saprophyticus (n=5), S. epidermidis (n=1), and S. arlettae (n=1), were also recovered. Coagulase-positive Staphylococci were obtained from eight animals (six of from the S. aureus species and two from S. intermedius). Resistance to antibiotics was frequently observed, and 88% of the isolates (23 samples) showed resistance to at least one drug. Resistance to penicillin G was a common finding, and the most active antimicrobial agents were chloramphenicol and gentamicin. Coagulase-positive strains were more frequently resistant to antibiotics (79.7%, average=6.4 drugs) than coagulase-negative strains (38.2%, average=3.0 drugs). The high frequency of resistance observed in those isolates is surprising and very alarming. A detailed history of the use of antimicrobial drugs in these subjects did not reveal any previous exposure to any of the tested antibiotics that could justify the observed resistance rate.
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