TITLE:
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Pigs and Pig Breeders in Three Regions of Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Cecile Ingrid Djuikoue, Dorine Ekeu Ngatcheu, Olivier Pomte, Melissa Julie Gonfouli, Euphrasie Tsono Kemegne, Charnelle Kemo Mouafo, Andrea Sheisley Tchouotou I Didi, Vynnie Manuella Nyatchoutou, Cedric Seugnou Nana, Ruffin Apalata, Venant Tckokonte-Nana
KEYWORDS:
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, Pig Breeders, Pigs, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.12 No.4,
November
15,
2022
ABSTRACT: The spread of antibiotic resistance, whether in the
community or in the hospital, has recently become a major public health
problem. Moreover, livestock seems to be a reservoir of resistant microorganisms
such as porcine methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (P-MRSA) whose
carriage and transmission was mainly demonstrated in persons with occupational
exposure to pigs. Much uncertainty remains about the public health implications
of P-MRSA. To address concerns that exist regarding the zoonotic risk that pig
carriers pose to breeders, the prevalence of P-MRSA in pigs and pig breeders
was determined among 152 pig breeders in three regions of Cameroon. Materials and Method: Participants in this study came from Adamawa, Far
North and Littoral regions of Cameroon. A total of 152 pig breeders or farm
workers participated in this study. After having collected some social and
cultural data with the aid of a questionnaire, nasal swabs were collected from
pigs (n = 275) and their breeders using the standard collection procedures and
placed in cooler containing cold accumulators. For each sample, microbiological
assays were done as well as antibiotic susceptibility tests. Results: MRSA was isolated from 25 out of 275 pigs sampled (9.09%) and from 32 out of
152 (21.05%) pig breeders sampled; 33 breeders (21.71%) were carriers of S. aureus including 32 MRSA and
one MSSA. The prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage was 21.05% ± 6.48. A
significant negative association between body protection and nasal carriage of
MRSA (OR = 0.29, 95% CI [0.093; 0.93]; p
= 0.04) was observed. In each region, similar strains of MRSA were isolated
both in pigs and their breeders with the same antibiotic resistant profile. Conclusion: The prevalence of MRSA though not high compared to European countries warrants
further research as data on this zoonosis is scarce in our context. As such,
transmission of MRSA from pigs to pig breeders or vice-versa constitutes a real
danger, and this relationship may be a starting point for MRSA contamination in
the community. Moreover, proper use of body protections and antibiotic
medications as recommended will be a better protective measure against nasal
MRSA carriage.