Nasal Carriage and Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus in Household Pets and Their Owners in Algeria

Background: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and potential risk factors of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in household pets (cats and dogs) and their owners in Chlef province in Algeria and to determine the isolates antibiotic resistance profiles. Materials & Methods: S. aureus was isolated from nasal swabs, identified by culture on mannitol salt agar (MSA), and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the nuc gene. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates were identified by their resistance to cefoxitin and PCR targeting the mecA gene. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) toxin genes were screened by PCR. Antimicrobial resistance was determined by disc diffusion method. The effect of risk factors on S. aureus nasal carriage was evaluated using a multivariable generalized linear model (GLM). Findings: A total of ۱۱۰ nasal swabs were collected: ۲۹, ۳۱, and ۵۰ from dogs, cats, and their owners, respectively. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus was ۲۵% in household pets (۲۲.۶% in cats and ۲۷.۶% in dogs) and ۲۲% in their owners. MRSA isolates were recovered only from pets (۶.۶%); ۲۵% of them were multidrug resistant (MDR). One MDR MRSA isolate was PVL-positive. The age of dogs was the only risk factor significantly associated with S. aureus nasal carriage. Conclusion: The results revealed that nasal carriage of S. aureus in household pets was relatively high, raising concern about their potential risk to human health and stressing the importance of active surveillance of S. aureus carriage in pets.

Keywords:

Staphylococcus aureus , Pets , Nasal cavity , Antibiotic resistance , Risk factors , Methicillin-resistant