Research Communication

Occurrence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in the pig-production chain in Ibadan, Nigeria

Opeyemi U. Lawal, Abimbola O. Adekanmbi, Olawale O. Adelowo
Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research | Vol 88, No 1 | a1959 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ojvr.v88i1.1959 | © 2021 Opeyemi U. Lawal, Abimbola O. Adekanmbi, Olawale O. Adelowo | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 07 July 2021 | Published: 30 November 2021

About the author(s)

Opeyemi U. Lawal, Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS), Department of Food Science, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; and, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Abimbola O. Adekanmbi, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Olawale O. Adelowo, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Staphylococcus species colonises humans and animals and is a major food contaminant with public health significance. Here, we assessed the occurrence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) in the pig-production chain in Ibadan, Nigeria. Nares of 120 pigs and 10 farmers were sampled with sterile swabs whilst 54 pork samples were collected from a retail slaughterhouse. Staphylococcus species were isolated using enrichment, cefoxitin–aztreonam selective broth and Mannitol salt agar. Isolates were tested for susceptibility to cefoxitin (30 μg), oxacillin (1 μg) and vancomycin (30 μg). Methicillin-resistant staphylococci isolates were characterised using conventional biochemical tests. From 184 samples, 364 staphylococcal isolates were obtained. Amongst the 54 pork samples, 44.0% were contaminated with Staphylococcus species. Overall, 9 (2.5%) MRS were obtained and presumptively identified as Staphylococcus xylosus (n = 3), Staphylococcus sciuri (n = 3), Staphylococcus warneri (n = 2) and Staphylococcus cohnii (n = 1). There was no relationship between the prevalence of MRS between pigs and pig handlers in the farms, but Farm 2 had the highest frequency of 66.7% (p < 0.05). Piglets had the highest prevalence of 66.7% (p < 0.05) whilst MRS was absent in workers and pork samples. This study raises concerns about the cross-contamination of staphylococci in the food chain. Constant surveillance is imperative to ensure food safety.

Keywords

methicillin-resistant staphylococci; pigs; pork samples; colonisation; food contamination; food chain

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