Staphylococcus hyicus is the causative agent of porcine exudative epidermitis. This disorder affects animals in all producing countries and presents a widespread occurrence in Brazil. This study evaluated strains from a historical collection in order to detect the presence of exfoliative-toxin-encoding genes (SHETB, ExhA, ExhB, ExhC, ExhD), characterize the strains using PFGE, and determine their respective antimicrobial resistance profiles. The results obtained from the evaluation of 77 strains from 1982 to 1987 and 103 strains from 2012 reveal a significant change in resistance profiles between the two periods, especially regarding the antimicrobial classes of fluoroquinolones, amphenicols, lincosamides, and pleuromutilins. The levels of multidrug resistance observed in 2012 were significantly higher than those detected in the 1980s. It was not possible to correlate the resistance profiles and presence of genes encoding toxins with the groups obtained via PFGE. Only 10.5% of the strains were negative for exfoliative toxins, and different combinations of toxins genes were identified. The changes observed in the resistance pattern of this bacterial species over the 30-year period analyzed indicate that S. hyicus could be a useful indicator in resistance monitoring programs in swine production. In a country with animal protein production such as Brazil, the results of this study reinforce the need to establish consistent monitoring programs of antimicrobial resistance in animals, as already implemented in various countries of the world.
Keywords: PFGE; Staphylococcus hyicus; antimicrobial resistance; exudative epidermitis; swine.