Development of a set of multiplex PCRs for detection of genes encoding cell wall-associated proteins in Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from dogs, humans and the environment

•Novel sets of mPCR for detection of 18 S. pseudintermedius surface protein genes were developed.•spsP and spsQ were detected at a higher frequency amongst isolates from infected sites than from carriage sites.•A total of 23 sps gene profiles were found among 135 S. pseudintermedius isolates.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius commonly colonizes the skin of dogs, whilst nasal carriage may occur in humans who are in contact with dogs or the environment of veterinary hospitals. Genes encoding cell wall-associated (CWA) proteins have been described in Staphylococcus aureus but knowledge of their occurrence in S. pseudintermedius is still limited. The aim of the study was to develop a method to detect S. pseudintermedius surface protein genes (sps) encoding CWA proteins, and to examine the distribution of the genes in isolates from different sources. Four multiplex PCR assays (mPCR) were developed for detection of 18 sps genes, with 4-5 genes detected per mPCR. These were applied to 135 S. pseudintermedius isolates from carriage sites (n = 35) and infected sites (n = 35) in dogs, from the nasal cavity of humans (n = 25), and from the environment of a veterinary hospital (n = 40). The mPCRs were shown to detect all 18 known sps genes, and no discrepancies were found between uniplex and mPCR results. The mPCRs could detect at least 1 pg/μl of DNA template. A total of 23 sps gene profiles were found among the 135 isolates, with diverse gene combinations. Only spsD, spsF, spsI, spsO, spsP, and spsQ were not detected in all isolates. spsP and spsQ were more frequently detected in the canine isolates from infected sites than from carriage sites. This finding suggests that these two genes may play a role in pathogenicity, whereas the presence of the 12 sps genes may contribute to adherence function at all surfaces where carriage occurs.