European Union - EFSA evaluates factors contributing to MRSA in pigs
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/scdoc/1597.htm
03-Jun-2010 (16 years 4 days ago)A European Union-wide survey was carried out to assess the prevalence and diversity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in pig primary production and to provide information on potential factors associated with its prevalence. The survey distinguished between breeding holdings (holdings housing breeding pigs and delivering replacement breeding pigs to breeding holdings and production holdings) and production holdings with breeding pigs (holdings housing breeding pigs and producing mainly pigs for fattening or slaughter).
An important diversity in MRSA spa-types was observed in the European Union, and the spa-type distributions of MRSA isolates were found to vary significantly between participating countries. MRSA isolates with spa-types belonging to lineages ST1, ST5 and ST8, which are spa-types known in human medicine, were tested for PVL toxin genes. None of the tested isolates tested positive for PVL toxin genes, suggesting that those strains were not related to PVL-positive, Community-Associated MRSA strains prevalent in some parts of the world in humans.
An important diversity in MRSA spa-types was observed in the European Union, and the spa-type distributions of MRSA isolates were found to vary significantly between participating countries. MRSA isolates with spa-types belonging to lineages ST1, ST5 and ST8, which are spa-types known in human medicine, were tested for PVL toxin genes. None of the tested isolates tested positive for PVL toxin genes, suggesting that those strains were not related to PVL-positive, Community-Associated MRSA strains prevalent in some parts of the world in humans.