Strain typing and antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin‐resistant coagulase‐positive staphylococcal species in dogs and people associated with dogs in Thailand

AIMS: This study was to investigate and to characterize methicillin‐resistant coagulase‐positive staphylococci (MRCoPS) harboring in dogs and people associated with dogs in Thailand. METHODS AND RESULTS: Staphylococci were collected from 100 dogs, 100 dog owners, 200 small animal veterinarians and 100 people without pet association. Species of MRCoPS were identified phenotypically and genotypically. Molecular characteristics were determined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and SCCmec typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility was assayed by broth microdilution and by microarray analysis for resistance genes. Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans (MRSSc) and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated from dogs (45, 17 and 1%, respectively), veterinarians (8, 2 and 1·5%, respectively) and dog owners (3, 2 and 0%, respectively). Seventeen sequence types (STs) were identified among 83 MRSP isolates which specifically carried SCCmec V, II–III, ΨSCCmec₅₇₃₉₅and three uncharacterized SCCmec types. MRSP ST 45, 68 and novel STs including 169, 178, 181 and 183 were shared among canine and human isolates. Most of MRSA ST398 and MRSSc carried SCCmec type V. The MRCoPS commonly displayed multiple resistances to tested antimicrobials and carried various resistance genes. CONCLUSION: Variety of MRCoPS, especially new MRSP clones, distributed in dogs and people in Thailand. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The existence of MRCoPS circulating between dogs and humans in Thailand provides indirect evidence of interspecies transmission and represents a potential public health hazard.