22 research outputs found
Occurrence and characterization of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pig industries of northern Thailand
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of livestock-associated
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) in pigs, farm workers,
and the environment in northern Thailand, and to assess LA-MRSA isolate
phenotypic characteristics. One hundred and four pig farms were randomly
selected from the 21,152 in Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces in 2012. Nasal
and skin swab samples were collected from pigs and farm workers. Environmental
swabs (pig stable floor, faucet, and feeder) were also collected. MRSA was
identified by conventional bacterial culture technique, with results confirmed
by multiplex PCR and multi locus sequence typing (MLST). Herd prevalence of
MRSA was 9.61% (10 of 104 farms). Among pigs, workers, and farm environments,
prevalence was 0.68% (two of 292 samples), 2.53% (seven of 276 samples), and
1.28% (four of 312 samples), respectively. Thirteen MRSA isolates (seven from
workers, four from environmental samples, and two from pigs) were identified
as Staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec IV sequences type 9. Antimicrobial
sensitivity tests found 100% of the MRSA isolates resistant to clindamycin,
oxytetracycline, and tetracycline, while 100% were susceptible to cloxacillin
and vancomycin. All possessed a multidrug-resistant phenotype. This is the
first evidence of an LA-MRSA interrelationship among pigs, workers, and the
farm environment in Thailand
Streptococcus suis in Humans, Thailand
Streptococcus suis in Humans, Thailan
Correlation between PFGE Groups and mrp/epf/sly Genotypes of Human Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 in Northern Thailand
Streptococcus suis infection is a severe zoonotic disease commonly found in Northern Thailand where people often consume raw pork and/or pig's blood. The most frequent clinical presentations are meningitis, sepsis, and endocarditis with higher rate of mortality and hearing loss sequelae. To clarify the correlation between pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) groups and mrp/epf/sly genotypes of S. suis serotype 2, 62 patient and 4 healthy pig isolates from Northern Thailand were studied. By PFGE analysis, at 66% homology, most human isolates (69.4%) and 1 pig isolate were in group A, whereas 14.5% of human isolates and 3 out of 4 pig isolates were in group D. According to mrp/epf/sly genotypes, 80.6% of human isolates were identified in mrp + epf − sly − and only 12.9% were in mrp − epf − sly + genotypes; in contrast, 1 and 3 pig isolates were detected in these two genotypes, respectively. Interestingly, all isolates of S. suis serotype 2 classified in PFGE groups A, B, and E were set in mrp + epf − sly − genotypes. These data show a close correlation between PFGE groups and mrp/epf/sly genotypes of human S. suis serotype 2
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST9 in Pigs in Thailand
BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important nosocomial and community-associated pathogen. Recently, livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) has emerged and disseminated in Europe and North America and now constitutes a considerable zoonotic burden in humans with risk factors of pig exposure, whereas the extent of the livestock reservoir is relatively unknown on other continents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: From March through April 2011, MRSA was identified in pigs from 3 out of 30 production holdings in Chang Mai Province, Thailand. Representative isolates were subjected to molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility testing; all isolates had genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of LA-MRSA previously characterized in the region: they belonged to ST9, lacked the lukF-lukS genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin, and were resistant to multiple non-β-lactam antimicrobials. However, unlike other Asian LA-MRSA-ST9 variants, they were spa type t337 and harbored a different staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec IX. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A novel MRSA-ST9 lineage has been established in the pig population of Thailand, which differs substantially from LA-MRSA lineages found in other areas of the continent. The emergence of novel LA-MRSA lineages in the animal agriculture setting is worrisome and poses a serious threat to global public health
Lineage and Virulence of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Isolates from North America
We performed multilocus sequence typing of 64 North American Streptococcus suis serotype 2 porcine isolates. Strains were sequence type (ST) 28 (51%), ST25 (44%), and ST1 (5%). We identified nonrandom associations between STs and expression of the virulence markers suilysin (SLY), muramidase-relased protein (MRP), and extracellular factor (EF). Expression of pili encoded by the srtF and srtG pilus clusters was also nonrandomly associated with STs. ST1 strains were SLY+ EF+ MRP+ srtF pilus+ srtG pilus−. ST25 strains were SLY− EF− MRP− srtF pilus− srtG pilus+, and most ST28 strains were SLY− MRP+ EF− srtF pilus+ srtG pilus+. ST28 isolates proved essentially nonvirulent in a mouse infection model; ST25 strains showed moderate virulence and ST1 isolates were highly virulent. ST1 is responsible for a high proportion of S. suis disease in humans worldwide. Its presence in North America indicates that potential zoonotic S. suis outbreaks in this continent cannot be disregarded
Clinical and microbiological characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients in northern Thailand.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are prevalent in Thailand. However, the clinical and microbiological characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in such patients are not completely clear at present. In the present study, we analyzed the characteristics of CAP in 191 HIV-infected patients (192 episodes, 130 males and 61 females, mean age 32.9 years, range: 20-62) who had been admitted to Nakornping Hospital in northern Thailand between December 1996 and January 2002. The mean peripheral blood CD4 lymphocyte count was 68.5/mm3 (range: 0-791). The most common organisms detected in the blood of the subjects were as follows: Penicillium marneffei, 13, Salmonella spp., 5, Cryptococcus neoformans, 4, Staphylococcus aureus, 3, and Rhodococcus equi, 3, and the most common organisms detected in sputum included Haemophilus influenzae, 38, P. marneffei, 10, Streptococcus pneumoniae, 10, R. equi, 9, and S. aureus, 9. Life-threatening meningitis in 5 (cryptococcal in 3 and tuberculous in 2), pneumothorax in 2, and tuberculous lymphadenitis in 1 were also noted, resulting in 21 fatalities (10.9%). The mean peripheral blood CD4 lymphocyte count for cases in which the subject died was 74.8/mm3 (range: 0-340). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that high age (odds ratio of over 40 years: 15.62) and R. equi infection (odds ratio: 8.14) are related to death of HIV-infected patients with CAP. The above findings indicate that various types of organisms, including mixed organisms, cause CAP in HIV-infected patients in northern Thailand, and high age and R. equi infection seem to be risk factors for death