Investigation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus , and Staphylococcus argenteus from wild long-tailed macaques ( Macaca fascicularis ) at Kosumpee Forest Park, Maha Sarakham, Thailand

In the past, the prevalence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) infections in both humans and animals has increased across Thailand. has been associated with infections among humans, exotic pets, and livestock. Both species have been identified in non-human primate species from geographically diverse locations but not from non-human primates in Thailand. This study aimed to determine the presence of MRSA/methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and isolates collected from buccal swab samples in at Kosumpee Forest Park (KFP), Maha Sarakham, Northeast Thailand. Aseptic buccal swab samples were collected from 30 free-ranging macaques in November 2018. All isolates were tested using multiple biochemical tests and latex slide agglutination test. Presumptive isolates were tested for the presence of the gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The isolates were phenotypically determined to be resistant to a β-lactam antibiotic using the disk diffusion method with a 30 mg cefoxitin disk. The isolates were analyzed by PCR for the non-ribosomal peptide synthetase ( ) gene to distinguish from . Fifteen macaques (50%) were colonized with and 21 isolates were characterized. Three of the macaques carried both the MRSA and MSSA isolate. One animal carried both MRSA and isolate, and one animal carried only . The gene analysis confirmed that 2 isolates (9.52%) were and 19 isolates (90.48%) were [five MSSA and 14 MRSA]. This study is the first to identify MRSA/MSSA and in wild free-ranging from Thailand at the KFP in Maha Sarakham. This study is also the first report on the occurrence of carriage in from Thailand.