Clonal diversity, virulence-associated genes and antimicrobial resistance profile of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from nasal cavities and soft tissue infections in wild ruminants in Italian Alps

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and a pathogenic bacterium that causes a wide variety of diseases in humans and animals with a high impact on public health and the livestock industry. S. aureus virulence pattern, antimicrobial resistance profile and host specialization are of great concern both in livestock and in companion animals. Concerning wild animals, S. aureus carriage and antimicrobial resistance profile has been recently investigated in free-ranging species both in aquatic and terrestrial environment. Here we report genotyping (spa typing, Multilocus Sequence Typing and SCCmec typing), virulence and antimicrobial resistance profile of four S. aureus isolated in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), euthanized due to walking impairment and signs of disorientation. S. aureus was isolated from nasal cavities in both wild ruminant species and in soft tissue infections in chamois. A marked S. aureus genetic heterogeneity was detected: spa type t1523, sequence type 45 (Clonal Complex 45), and spa type t1328, ST22 (CC22) from the nasal cavities and the liver of a chamois kid respectively, t1773, ST700 (CC130) from an adult chamois abscess, and a new sequence type, ST2712, belonging to CC97 from the roe deer nasal cavities.One of the main findings was the confirmation that the t1328, ST22 isolate, obtained from the liver of the chamois kid, was a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) harbouring a SCCmec cassette type IV. The set of virulence marker and toxin genes investigated showed profiles characteristic of the S. aureus lineages detected, including those of the human adapted ST (CC) 22 and ST (CC) 45 isolates.