Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among veterinary staff in small animal hospitals in Sapporo, Japan, between 2008 and 2016: A follow up study

The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and their molecular characteristics among veterinary staff in Sapporo in 2008 and 2016. We isolated MRSA from veterinarians (Vet; n = 91), veterinary technicians (VT; n = 113), and other staff members (n = 24) from 45 small animal hospitals (animal hospitals), as well as from surface swabs (n = 123) obtained from 37 animal hospitals, in 2016. MRSA was observed in 14 Vets (15%), 7 VTs (6%), 2 other staff members (8%), and 6 environmental samples (5%). The prevalence of MRSA among veterinary staff tended to decrease, in comparison to 2008. All the MRSA isolates were classified as CC5/SCCmecII, which is commonly observed in medical settings in Japan. Upon performing pulse-field gel electrophoresis, with SmaI and EagI, and clfB sequence typing, it was observed that 16 of the MRSA isolates from 2016 were highly similar to those obtained in 2008. This suggests that some MRSA isolates persisted throughout 8 years, although their origins remain unclear. The continuation of education and monitoring of MRSA is necessary for the prevention and control of infection in these settings.