A look at staphylococci from the one health perspective.

Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococcal species are resident and transient multihost colonizers as well as conditional pathogens. Especially S. aureus represents an excellent model bacterium for the "One Health" concept because of its dynamics at the human-animal interface and versatility with respect to host adaptation.

Colonization of Dogs and Their Owners with and in Households, Veterinary Practices, and Healthcare Facilities.

There are uncertainties with respect to the transmission of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant (MSSA and MRSA) and between dogs and humans. In this study, we investigated concomitant nasal colonization of dogs and humans in three cohorts. Cohort I, households owning dogs: In 42 of 84 households, 66 humans (36.

Silence as a way of niche adaptation: mecC-MRSA with variations in the accessory gene regulator (agr) functionality express kaleidoscopic phenotypes.

Functionality of the accessory gene regulator (agr) quorum sensing system is an important factor promoting either acute or chronic infections by the notorious opportunistic human and veterinary pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Spontaneous alterations of the agr system are known to frequently occur in human healthcare-associated S. aureus lineages.

Nasal Colonization of Humans with Occupational Exposure to Raw Meat and to Raw Meat Products with Methicillin-Susceptible and Methicillin-Resistant .

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant (LA-MRSA) is widely disseminated as a nasal colonizer of conventionally raised livestock and of humans subjected to occupational exposure. Reports on contamination of raw meat raise the question as to whether occupationally exposed food handlers are at particular risk of nasal colonization by LA-MRSA. Here, we report the results from a cross-sectional study on nasal /MRSA colonization of butchers, meat sellers, and cooks in Germany.

Comparative Secretome Analyses of Human and Zoonotic Isolates CC8, CC22, and CC398.

The spread of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) in the community, hospitals and in livestock is mediated by highly diverse virulence factors that include secreted toxins, superantigens, enzymes and surface-associated adhesins allowing host adaptation and colonization. Here, we combined proteogenomics, secretome and phenotype analyses to compare the secreted virulence factors in selected isolates of the dominant human- and livestock-associated genetic lineages CC8, CC22, and CC398. The proteogenomic comparison revealed 2181 core genes and 1306 accessory genes in 18 isolates reflecting the high genome diversity.

Evidence for Human Adaptation and Foodborne Transmission of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

We investigated the evolution and epidemiology of a novel livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, which colonizes and infects urban-dwelling Danes even without a Danish animal reservoir. Genetic evidence suggests both poultry and human adaptation, with poultry meat implicated as a probable source.

Molecular Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus in the General Population in Northeast Germany: Results of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND-0).

Population-based studies on Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization are scarce. We examined the prevalence, resistance, and molecular diversity of S. aureus in the general population in Northeast Germany.

Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage Patterns in the Community.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that colonizes frequently and asymptomatically the anterior nares of humans and animals. It can cause different kinds of infections and is considered to be an important nosocomial pathogen.

Occurrence of cfr-mediated multiresistance in staphylococci from veal calves and pigs, from humans at the corresponding farms, and from veterinarians and their family members.

This study reports on the emergence of linezolid-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) containing the multiresistance gene cfr in veal calves and pigs, as well as in humans exposed to these animals. CoNS (Staphylococcus auricularis, Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylococcus lentus, Staphylococcus kloosii, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus simulans), but not Staphylococcus aureus, carrying the gene cfr were detected in samples of 12 out of 52 calves at three farms which had a history of florfenicol use. Nasal swabs from 10 humans living on these farms were negative for cfr-carrying staphylococci.

Persistence of nasal colonisation with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 among participants of veterinary conferences and occurrence among their household members: A prospective cohort study, Germany 2008-2014.

There are only few data on the persistence and transmission of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of the clonal complex (CC) 398 among veterinarians and their household members. We therefore investigated the long-term colonisation with MRSA CC398 among participants of veterinary conferences in Germany in 2008/2009 and their household members. Forty-five initially MRSA CC398 positive and 180 initially MRSA CC398 negative conference participants were included in a longitudinal study.

Impact of bacteriophage Saint3 carriage on the immune evasion capacity and hemolytic potential of Staphylococcus aureus CC398.

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) isolates of clonal complex 398 (CC398) are frequently found in Europe, and recent studies highlighted the importance of mobile genetic element (MGE) exchange for host adaptation of this lineage. Of note, one of the MGEs commonly found in human S. aureus isolates, the immune evasion cluster (IEC) harboring bacteriophage Saint3, is very rarely found in LA-MRSA CC398 isolates obtained from farm animals, but more frequently found in LA-MRSA CC398 that were retransmitted to humans.

MRSA in equine hospitals and its significance for infections in humans.

MRSA infections in equine clinics were reported from Northern America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The majority of nosocomial infections in horses is obviously associated with particular MRSA clonal lineages. As already observed for epidemic MRSA in human hospitals more than 10 years ago, a dynamics of MRSA clonal lineages is also observed in European equine clinics: clonal lineages belonging to clonal complex (CC) 8 are on the retreat whereas MRSA attributed to CC398 become increasingly prevalent.

Methicillin-resistant from infections in horses in Germany are frequent colonizers of veterinarians but rare among MRSA from infections in humans.

A total of 272 methicillin-resistant (MRSA) from equine infections originating from 17 equine hospitals and 39 veterinary practices in Germany as well as 67 isolates from personnel working at equine clinics were subjected to molecular typing. The majority of isolates from horses was attributed to clonal complex (CC) 398 (82.7%).

Comprehensive molecular, genomic and phenotypic analysis of a major clone of Enterococcus faecalis MLST ST40.

Background: Enterococcus faecalis is a multifaceted microorganism known to act as a beneficial intestinal commensal bacterium. It is also a dreaded nosocomial pathogen causing life-threatening infections in hospitalised patients. Isolates of a distinct MLST type ST40 represent the most frequent strain type of this species, distributed worldwide and originating from various sources (animal, human, environmental) and different conditions (colonisation/infection).

The impact of zoonotic MRSA colonization and infection in Germany.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes colonization and infection both in animals and humans. In Germany, cases of MRSA colonization among humans, w+hich affect 0.5-1.

Prevalence of the immune evasion gene cluster in Staphylococcus aureus CC398.

The immune evasion gene cluster (IEC) is typical for Staphylococcus aureus isolated from humans but is usually absent in S. aureus isolated from animals. Previous studies have shown that methicillin resistant S.

Livestock-Associated MRSA: The Impact on Humans.

During the past 25 years an increase in the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA) was recorded worldwide. Additionally, MRSA infections may occur outside and independent of hospitals, caused by community associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). In Germany, we found that at least 10% of these sporadic infections are due to livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA), which is initially associated with livestock.

Methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in a random sample of non-hospitalized adult population in northern Germany.

Objective: The findings from truly randomized community-based studies on Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization are scarce. Therefore we have examined point prevalence and risk factors of S. aureus nasal carriage in a non-hospitalized population of Braunschweig, northern Germany.

Serial home-based self-collection of anterior nasal swabs to detect Staphylococcus aureus carriage in a randomized population-based study in Germany.

Objectives: Participant-collected serial nasal swabs would be a cost-efficient feature of prospective population-based microbiological studies. We examined the feasibility of serial anterior nasal self-swabbing for Staphylococcus aureus detection in a prospective population-based study in Braunschweig, Germany, and assessed the impact of three interventions on participation and compliance.

Methods: Two thousand twenty-six inhabitants were selected randomly from the resident registries and asked to self-collect a nasal swab monthly from July 2012 to January 2013 and return it by mail.

Insufficient discriminatory power of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for typing of Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus isolates.

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is increasingly used as a reliable technique for species identification of bacterial pathogens. In this study we investigated the question of whether MALDI-TOF MS can be used for accurate sub-differentiation of strains and isolates of two important nosocomial pathogens Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus. For this purpose, a selection of 112 pre-characterized E.

[Infectivity-resistotype-genotype clustering of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in the Central Blacksea Region of Turkey].

The increase in the prevalence of epidemic strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals and community requires special attention of infection control. The aim of this study was to determine the pathogenic phenotype (i.e.

Phylogenetic analysis of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 reveals a sub-lineage epidemiologically associated with infections in horses.

In the early 2000s, a particular MRSA clonal complex (CC398) was found mainly in pigs and pig farmers in Europe. Since then, CC398 has been detected among a wide variety of animal species worldwide. We investigated the population structure of CC398 through mutation discovery at 97 genetic housekeeping loci, which are distributed along the CC398 chromosome within 195 CC398 isolates, collected from various countries and host species, including humans.

Methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) of clonal complex CC398, t571 from infections in humans are still rare in Germany.

Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) attributed to clonal complex (CC) 398 and exhibiting spa-type t571 received attention in Europe and in the USA for being associated with severe infections in humans. As this spa-type is exhibited by livestock-associated (LA) Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) as well, it is important to discriminate LA- and human-derived strains by easy to perform, PCR-based methods.