Volume: 3, 2024
3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A004
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.A004
Published online: 24 April 2024
ICDSUPL, 3, A004 (2024)
Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. in fallow deer (Dama dama) from Central Italy
Giulia Cagnoli1, Paolo Bongi2, Fabrizio Bertelloni1, Silvia Piva3, Valentina Virginia Ebani1, 4 *, Marco Del Frate2
1 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
2 Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
3 Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy
4 Centre for Climate Change Impact, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
* Corresponding author: valentina.virginia.ebani@unipi.it
Abstract
Wild animals are known to be source of different zoonotic pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The attention is usually focused on enteropathogens excreted in feces, whereas few studies investigated staphylococci. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of Staphylococcus spp. Strains in fallow deer (Dama dama) living in a natural preserve of Central Italy; in addition the study focused on the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial-resistance characters of the isolates. Nasal swabs were collected from 175 fallow deer during March-April 2023, and submitted to bacteriological cultures. A total of 176 Staphylococcus spp. strains were isolated and successively submitted to species identification by MALDITOF, which yielded: 66 (37.5%) S. aureus, 34 (19.31%) S. hyicus, 32 (18.18%) S. sciuri, 27 (15.34%) S. chromogenes, 11 (6.25%) S. xylosus, 5 (2.84%) S. warneri, and 1 (0.56%) S. devriesei. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of each isolate were determined by agar disk diffusion method testing 13 molecules belonging to 9 classes of antibiotics. The highest percentages of resistant strains were found with ampicillin (29.55%), rifampicin (22.73%) and amikacin (20.45%); relevant percentages of intermediate strains were observed with erythromycin (61.93%), enrofloxacin (28.41%), and ceftiofur (21.02%). Susceptibility levels were particularly high for vancomycin (100%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (99.43%) and cefoxitin (97.73%). On the basis of the obtained results, 30 (17.04%) isolates were classified as MDR (multidrug resistant) and 2 (1.13%) as XDR (extensively drug resistant). Genes encoding for antibiotic-resistance were searched by PCR assays; in particular, blaZ, mecA and mecC genes were investigated in the isolates resulted phenotypically resistant to penicillin/ cephalosporins. Three strains (2 S. chromogenes and 1 S. xylosus) tested positive for the blaZ gene. The present study suggests the role of wildlife, in particular fallow deer, as reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. strains. The bacterial species isolated can cause diseases in humans, pets, and farm animals. The detected percentages of antibiotic resistant strains are not very high, but they showed that antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci circulate in wild animals, posing a risk of transmission to other animals living in the same area and to humans, such as hunters, veterinarians, park personnel, having contact with wildlife.
Keywords: Staphylococcus spp., fallow deer, antibiotic-resistance, wildlife
How to cite
G. Cagnoli, P. Bongi, F. Bertelloni, S. Piva, V.V. Ebani, M. Del Frate, 2024. Antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus spp. in fallow deer (Dama dama) from Central Italy. In: 3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.A004