Isolation and Antibiogram Profiles of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Cow milk and Dog samples

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a commensal bacterium associated with serious infections in men and animals. Recently, multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of S. aureus especially the so-called methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), represent a serious challenge that hinders the control of infections in man and animals. This study aimed to monitor milk samples from mastitic cows and vaginal and nasal swabs from dogs for the incidence of S. aureus. In addition, the isolates' antibiogram profiles were assessed to determine the extent of MDR and MRSA existence among the recovered isolates. Out of 260 samples, 29 (11%) S. aureus isolates were recovered with the highest incidence in milk samples (15/90, 17%), followed by vaginal swabs (8/90, 9%) and nasal swabs (6/80, 7%). Identification of the isolates was confirmed by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene sequence. Twenty S. aureus isolates were tested against seven antibacterial agents. Surprisingly, all the twenty isolates were MRSA and three bitch vaginal isolates were MDR. The findings of this study call for more research and cooperation between authors interested in assessing the MRSA and MRD bacterial incidence in both medical and veterinary fields. The cooperation will augment the challenge of disseminating MRSA and MDR staphylococci from animals to humans and vice versa.