Prospective multicenter surveillance identifies Staphylococcus aureus infections caused by livestock-associated strains in an agricultural state

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2016 Jul;85(3):360-366. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2016.04.014. Epub 2016 Apr 26.

Abstract

We conducted a surveillance study to investigate the epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus infections in Iowa, using a convenience sample. Diagnostic laboratories submitted 20 S. aureus isolates per month for a 20-month period between 2011 and 2013. Of the 2226 isolates analyzed, 73.6% were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 26.4% were methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). S. aureus infections in 25 patients (1%) were caused by ST398- and ST9-associated strain types, and appeared to be a common occurrence in areas of the state with the highest numbers of hogs and hog farms. Twenty nine (5.1%) of MSSA isolates and 10 (40.0%) livestock-associated strains were multi-drug resistant.

Keywords: Infection; Livestock; Methicillin resistant; Methicillin susceptible; Staphylococcus aureus; Surveillance.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Animals
  • Epidemiological Monitoring
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Iowa / epidemiology
  • Livestock*
  • Male
  • Molecular Epidemiology
  • Molecular Typing
  • Occupational Exposure*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Staphylococcal Infections / epidemiology*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Staphylococcal Infections / transmission
  • Staphylococcus aureus / classification*
  • Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
  • Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
  • Zoonoses / transmission