Prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in beef cattle and slaughterhouse environment

Aim: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is known as an important pathogen with zoonotic potential. This thesis aimed to determine the presence of MRSA in skin, nasal, rectal, and carcass samples of beef cattle, as well as in samples from the paddock, knife, and hand of personnel working in a slaughterhouse. Materials and Methods: A total of 434 samples were collected from a slaughterhouse operating in Diyarbakır province, including rectal (n:100), skin (n:100), carcass (n:100), and nasal (n:100) samples from beef cattle, as well as paddock (n:10), knife (n:10), and worker's hand (n:14) samples. Suspected MRSA colonies were analyzed by PCR for the presence of nuc, mecA, and mecC genes. Suspected isolates were tested for susceptibility to cefoxitin using the disk diffusion method recommended by EUCAST. Results: The prevalence of MRSA in the analyzed samples was found to be 0,9% (4/434). It was 2% (2/100) in skin samples, 7,1% (1/14) in personnel hand samples, and 10% (1/10) in knife samples, with no significant difference (P> 0,05). MRSA was not detected in any of the carcass, nasal, rectal, and paddock samples. All isolates identified as MRSA carried the mecA gene and were resistant to cefoxitin. No mecC gene was detected in any of the isolates. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that MRSA can be exist even at low levels in beef cattle and slaughterhouse environments. Although this pathogen was not detected in any carcass, nasal, rectal, and paddock samples, its presence in cattle skin, worker's hand, and knife samples point out the risk of cross-contamination between animals and humans.