Presence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in sewage treatment plant

- Presence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was explored in a rural sewage treatment plant.
- MRSA was present in raw and treated sewage.
- The isolated bacteria carried mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance.
- Free DNA of mecA gene is released from the sewage treatment plant.

The presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in rural sewage treatment plants are not well reported in the literature. The aim of the present study was to study the frequency occurrence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a rural sewage treatment plant. This study was conducted using raw sewage as well as treated sewage from a small town sewage treatment plant in rural southeast Louisiana of USA. Results showed the presence of MRSA consistently in both raw and treated sewage. The presence of mecA gene responsible for methicillin resistance was confirmed in the raw and treated sewage water samples.