Staphylococcus aureus e Streptococcus uberis são dois patógenos causadores mastite bovina que podem apresentar capacidade de produção de biofilme, o que pode resultar em infecções intramamárias crônicas, menor resposta à terapia, redução de produção de leite e maior risco de descarte das vacas infectadas. Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar a: 1) capacidade de formação de biofilme de S. aureus e S. uberis isolados de vacas com mastite clínica (MC) e subclínica (MSC); 2) sensibilidade in vitro e a multirresistência destes agentes a antimicrobianos selecionados (n=12); 3) associação entre a capacidade de formação de biofilme e resistência aos antimicrobianos de S. aureus e S. uberis. Um total de 197 cepas S. aureus e 128 S. uberis foram isoladas a partir de amostras de leite de vacas com MSC e MC, oriundas de 24 rebanhos. Os isolados de S. aureus e S. uberis foram avaliados quanto a capacidade de formação de biofilme pelo método??? e a sensibilidade in vitro aos antimicrobianos foi determinada pela técnica de disco difusão em ágar. A capacidade de formação de biofilme foi classificada em 4 categorias: forte, moderado, fraco e não formador de biofilme. Do total de cepas avaliadas, S. aureus (54,8%) e S. uberis (52,9%) apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme (forte, moderado ou fraco). Entre os isolados de S. aureus formadores de biofilme, a frequência de distribuição dos isolados foi de 19,3% na categoria forte, 18,8% moderado, e 16,7% na categoria fraco. Para os isolados de S. uberis, a frequência de distribuição entre as categorias de formação de biofilme foi 17,6% forte, 25,2% moderado, 17,6% fraco. Dentre as cepas de S. aureus isoladas de casos de MC, 55,8% foram classificados como forte formador de biofilme, enquanto 7,6% das cepas isoladas de MSC apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme. Todos os isolados de S. uberis (n=30; 100%) provenientes de MC apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme na categoria moderado. Quanto à sensibilidade aos antimicrobianos, os isolados de S. aureus apresentaram resistência à penicilina (92,9%), ampicilina (50,8%) e tetraciclina (18,3%); e os isolados de S. uberis apresentaram resistência à penicilina (86,5%), oxacilina (85,5%), tetraciclina (37,5%). Os isolados de S. aureus apresentaram maior chance de resistência aos antimicrobianos ampicilina, tetraciclina e ceftiofur que S. uberis. Em conclusão, S. aureus e S. uberis apresentam elevada capacidade de produção de biofilme, mas não houve interação entre a característica de multirresistência e formação de biofilme. Isolados de S. aureus e S. uberis foram altamente resistentes aos antimicrobianos das classes de beta-lactâmicos e tetraciclinas. / Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus uberis are both mastitis causing pathogens that can present ability to produce biofilm, which can result in chronic intramammary infection, reduced response to the therapy, reduction of milk yield, and greater risk of cows\' culling. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the: 1) biofilm-forming capacity of S. aureus and S. uberis isolated from clinical (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SCM); in vitro sensibility and multi-resistance of these agents to the antimicrobials; 3) association between the biofilm-forming capacity and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 197 S. aureus and 128 S. uberis were isolated from milk samples collected from cows with SCM and CM from 24 dairy herds. The biofilm-forming ability were classified in 4 categories: strong, moderate, weak, and non-biofilm producers. Of all isolates evaluated, S. aureus (54.8%) and S. uberis (52.9%) presented biofilm-forming ability (strong, moderate or weak). Among the biofilm-forming isolates, the frequency of distribution of S. aureus was 19.3% for the strong, 18.8% for the moderate, and 16.7% for the weak categories. For the S. uberis isolates, the frequency of distribution among the biofilm-forming categories was 17.6% strong, 25.2% moderate, and 17.6% weak. In relation to the mastitis presentation form, the strong biofilm-forming category had 55.8% of S. aureus isolates from CM cases; and among all biofilm-forming categories, the strong category was the one with the higher number of isolates of S. aureus (n=43; 19,2%). All S. uberis isolates (n=30; 100%) from CM presented moderate biofilm-forming ability. In relation to the antimicrobial susceptibility, the isolates of S. aureus were resistant to penicillin (92.9%), ampicillin (50.8%) and tetracycline (18.3%); and the isolates of S. uberis presented resistance to penicillin (86.5%), oxacillin (85.5%) and tetracycline (37.5%). The isolates of S. aureus and S. uberis, S. aureus had higher odds to be resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline and ceftiofur than S. uberis. In conclusion, S. aureus and S. uberis presented high ability of production of biofilm, but there was no interaction between multi-resistance and biofilm production ability. Isolates of S. aureus and S. uberis were highly resistant to antimicrobials of the class of beta lactams and tetracycline.

Les biofilms, communautés multicellulaires bactériennes, sont omniprésents. Malgré leur importance pour l’écosystème, ils présentent une menace pour l'industrie autant que pour la santé humaine. La virulence des biofilms procède surtout de leur résistance élevée aux antibiotiques, qui rend leur éradication quasiment impossible. Ainsi, les biofilms sont impliqués dans la plupart des infections bactériennes chroniques, causant chaque année plus de 4000 décès en France. P. stuartii est une bactérie connue pour sa capacité à former des biofilms dans le tractus urinaire humain. Elle est responsable de 10% des INU chroniques et est décrite comme étant la plus résistante de son genre. Malgré ces faits, les études menées sur cette bactérie sont rares, freinant la compréhension du mécanisme de développement et de résistance de ses biofilms et compliquant ainsi l’avancement de nouvelles thérapies pour lutter, prévenir ou éradiquer ces infections. P. stuartii exprime au niveau de sa membrane externe deux porines, Omp-Pst1 et Omp-Pst2, qui constituent 70% du contenu protéique membranaire. Ces porines sont le conduit principal permettant à la bactérie de communiquer et d’échanger avec son milieu environnant. Ainsi, les porines sont vitales pour la bactérie.A ce jour, trois publications sont disponibles qui traitent de ces deux porines, mais aucune n’a exploré leur influence sur la formation des biofilms bactériens. Les travaux effectués au cours de ma thèse ont ainsi visé à réduire le manque de connaissance sur les biofilms de P. stuartii et à dévoiler le rôle des porines dans l’établissement et la résistance de ces biofilms. Pour cela, nous avons segmenté notre travail en quatre parties ayant pour objectifs (1) de comprendre la formation des biofilms de P. stuartii et leur réponse aux stress du milieu environnant ; (2) de décrire l’effet de la suppression ou la surexpression des porines ; (3) d’étudier à l’échelle moléculaire et atomique le comportement des porines isolées ; et (4) de développer des outils pour étudier les porines à l’échelle moléculaire au sein d’un biofilm de P. stuartii. / Biofilms, bacterial multicellular communities, are ubiquitous. Despite their importance to the ecosystem, they pose a threat to both industry and human health. The virulence of biofilms is mainly due to their high resistance to antibiotics, which makes their eradication virtually impossible. Thus, biofilms are involved in most chronic bacterial infections, causing each year more than 4,000 deaths in France. P. stuartii is a bacterium known for its ability to form biofilms in the human urinary tract. It is responsible for 10% of chronic nosocomial urinary infections and is described as the most resistant of its kind. Despite these facts, studies on this bacterium are rare, hampering the understanding of the mechanism of development and resistance of its biofilms and thus complicating the advancement of new therapies to fight, prevent or eradicate these infections. P. stuartii expresses at its outer membrane two porins, Omp-Pst1 and Omp-Pst2, which constitute 70% of the membrane protein content. These porins are the main conduit allowing the bacterium to communicate and exchange with its surrounding environment. Thus, porins are vital for the bacteria.To date, three publications are available that deal with these two porins, but none have explored their influence on the formation of bacterial biofilms. The work carried out during my thesis thus aimed to reduce the lack of knowledge about P. stuartii's biofilm and to unveil the role of porins in the establishment and resistance of these biofilms. For this, we have divided our work into four parts aiming at (1) understanding of P. stuartii's biofilms formation and their response to the stresses of the surrounding environment; (2) describing the effect of suppression or overexpression of porins; (3) studying the behavior of isolated porins on a molecular and atomic scale; and (4) developing tools for studying porins on a molecular scale within a biofilm of P. stuartii.

Staphylococcus aureus e Streptococcus uberis são dois patógenos causadores mastite bovina que podem apresentar capacidade de produção de biofilme, o que pode resultar em infecções intramamárias crônicas, menor resposta à terapia, redução de produção de leite e maior risco de descarte das vacas infectadas. Os objetivos deste estudo foram avaliar a: 1) capacidade de formação de biofilme de S. aureus e S. uberis isolados de vacas com mastite clínica (MC) e subclínica (MSC); 2) sensibilidade in vitro e a multirresistência destes agentes a antimicrobianos selecionados (n=12); 3) associação entre a capacidade de formação de biofilme e resistência aos antimicrobianos de S. aureus e S. uberis. Um total de 197 cepas S. aureus e 128 S. uberis foram isoladas a partir de amostras de leite de vacas com MSC e MC, oriundas de 24 rebanhos. Os isolados de S. aureus e S. uberis foram avaliados quanto a capacidade de formação de biofilme pelo método??? e a sensibilidade in vitro aos antimicrobianos foi determinada pela técnica de disco difusão em ágar. A capacidade de formação de biofilme foi classificada em 4 categorias: forte, moderado, fraco e não formador de biofilme. Do total de cepas avaliadas, S. aureus (54,8%) e S. uberis (52,9%) apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme (forte, moderado ou fraco). Entre os isolados de S. aureus formadores de biofilme, a frequência de distribuição dos isolados foi de 19,3% na categoria forte, 18,8% moderado, e 16,7% na categoria fraco. Para os isolados de S. uberis, a frequência de distribuição entre as categorias de formação de biofilme foi 17,6% forte, 25,2% moderado, 17,6% fraco. Dentre as cepas de S. aureus isoladas de casos de MC, 55,8% foram classificados como forte formador de biofilme, enquanto 7,6% das cepas isoladas de MSC apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme. Todos os isolados de S. uberis (n=30; 100%) provenientes de MC apresentaram capacidade de formação de biofilme na categoria moderado. Quanto à sensibilidade aos antimicrobianos, os isolados de S. aureus apresentaram resistência à penicilina (92,9%), ampicilina (50,8%) e tetraciclina (18,3%); e os isolados de S. uberis apresentaram resistência à penicilina (86,5%), oxacilina (85,5%), tetraciclina (37,5%). Os isolados de S. aureus apresentaram maior chance de resistência aos antimicrobianos ampicilina, tetraciclina e ceftiofur que S. uberis. Em conclusão, S. aureus e S. uberis apresentam elevada capacidade de produção de biofilme, mas não houve interação entre a característica de multirresistência e formação de biofilme. Isolados de S. aureus e S. uberis foram altamente resistentes aos antimicrobianos das classes de beta-lactâmicos e tetraciclinas. / Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus uberis are both mastitis causing pathogens that can present ability to produce biofilm, which can result in chronic intramammary infection, reduced response to the therapy, reduction of milk yield, and greater risk of cows\' culling. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the: 1) biofilm-forming capacity of S. aureus and S. uberis isolated from clinical (CM) and subclinical mastitis (SCM); in vitro sensibility and multi-resistance of these agents to the antimicrobials; 3) association between the biofilm-forming capacity and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 197 S. aureus and 128 S. uberis were isolated from milk samples collected from cows with SCM and CM from 24 dairy herds. The biofilm-forming ability were classified in 4 categories: strong, moderate, weak, and non-biofilm producers. Of all isolates evaluated, S. aureus (54.8%) and S. uberis (52.9%) presented biofilm-forming ability (strong, moderate or weak). Among the biofilm-forming isolates, the frequency of distribution of S. aureus was 19.3% for the strong, 18.8% for the moderate, and 16.7% for the weak categories. For the S. uberis isolates, the frequency of distribution among the biofilm-forming categories was 17.6% strong, 25.2% moderate, and 17.6% weak. In relation to the mastitis presentation form, the strong biofilm-forming category had 55.8% of S. aureus isolates from CM cases; and among all biofilm-forming categories, the strong category was the one with the higher number of isolates of S. aureus (n=43; 19,2%). All S. uberis isolates (n=30; 100%) from CM presented moderate biofilm-forming ability. In relation to the antimicrobial susceptibility, the isolates of S. aureus were resistant to penicillin (92.9%), ampicillin (50.8%) and tetracycline (18.3%); and the isolates of S. uberis presented resistance to penicillin (86.5%), oxacillin (85.5%) and tetracycline (37.5%). The isolates of S. aureus and S. uberis, S. aureus had higher odds to be resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline and ceftiofur than S. uberis. In conclusion, S. aureus and S. uberis presented high ability of production of biofilm, but there was no interaction between multi-resistance and biofilm production ability. Isolates of S. aureus and S. uberis were highly resistant to antimicrobials of the class of beta lactams and tetracycline.

Les antibiotiques représentent à l’heure actuelle le seul moyen de lutte efficace contre la tuberculose. Parmi eux, l’éthionamide (ETH) est l’un des antituberculeux les plus efficaces. Il pose cependant des problèmes d’effets indésirables non négligeables ce qui relègue son utilisation en seconde ligne de traitement. Ces inconvénients aboutissent fréquemment à une inobservance au traitement, à l’origine du développement de souches résistantes.L’ETH, à l’instar d’autres composés antimycobactériens, est une pro-drogue nécessitant son activation métabolique par une enzyme produite par la mycobactérie elle-même. Il a été montré que cette bio-activation intra-bactérienne est exercée par la mono-oxygénase EthA dont la production est réprimée par le régulateur transcriptionnel EthR. Lors de travaux précédents, des inhibiteurs de EthR ont été développés dans le but de stimuler la bioactivation de l’ETH par EthA. Ces molécules de synthèse ont permis de potentialiser l’efficacité de l’ETH d’un facteur trois sur un modèle murin d’infection tuberculeuse. Toutefois, bien qu’actifs chez l’animal, cette première série de composés possède des propriétés pharmacocinétiques et pharmacodynamiques (PK/PD) insuffisantes pour une utilisation en clinique humaine. Le premier objectif de ce travail a donc été de définir un « profil minimum acceptable » nécessaire à la réalisation d’études pré-cliniques. L’évaluation systématique des performances de plus de 500 composés a mené à l’identification de leads compatibles avec le profil défini. Notre deuxième objectif a été d’évaluer l’intérêt de la stratégie de potentialisation de l’ETH dans la problématique de la prise en charge de la tuberculose multi-résistante (MDR-TB). Ainsi, dans 80% des cas, l’usage de nos inhibiteurs d’EthR a permis d’abaisser significativement la concentration minimale inhibitrice d’ETH.Parallèlement, tirant profit de la quantité importante de composés générés lors de ce programme d’optimisation, une étude fondamentale des interactions entre inhibiteurs et EthR a été menée. De cette manière, nous avons pu identifier une région restreinte de la poche d’interaction de EthR avec ses inhibiteurs/ligands, nécessaire et suffisante à la réorganisation spatiale menant à une forme inactive du répresseur. Pour la première fois dans cette famille de répresseur de type TetR, nous avons montré que la modification d’un seul acide aminé dans cette région de la protéine provoque les mêmes phénomènes allostériques que ceux induits par la fixation des inhibiteurs/ligands. De façon inattendue, le programme d’optimisation des inhibiteurs nous a mené à l’identification d’une nouvelle famille de molécules capables de potentialiser l’ETH alors qu’elles ont perdu leur capacité d’interagir avec EthR. Des expériences de transcriptomique et de RMN ont révélé que ces composés inhibent une voie de bio-activation de l’ETH indépendante de EthA. Cette voie ouvre des perspectives extraordinaires de traitement puisque ces inhibiteurs augmentent significativement l’efficacité de la prodrogue, non seulement sur les souches cliniques MDR-TB, mais également sur les souches cliniques résistantes à l’ETH. Notre dernier objectif a été de calquer cette stratégie de potentialisation à l’antituberculeux le plus utilisé dans le monde, l’isoniazide (INH). Tout comme l’ETH, l’INH est une pro-drogue. Sa bio-activation est tributaire de la catalase-peroxydase KatG dont le niveau d’expression est sous dépendance du régulateur transcriptionnel FurA. Notre objectif a donc été d’obtenir des inhibiteurs spécifiques de FurA. En l’absence de structure cristallographique de FurA nous empêchant une approche par chimie raisonnée sur cible, nous avons basé notre stratégie sur un criblage à haut débit de vastes chimiothèques. Les premiers hits et leur partielle optimisation sont discutés dans ce travail. / Antibiotics are currently the only effective means of control against tuberculosis. Among them, ethionamide (ETH) is one of the most effective. However it is responsible for significant side effects that relegate the ETH use to a second-line. These events often lead to non-compliance with treatment promoting many cases of multidrug resistant-tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Like other antimycobacterial compounds, ETH is a prodrug that requires bioactivation by an enzyme produced by the mycobacteria. It has been shown that the intrabacterial bioactivation of the prodrug by the monooxygenase EthA is controled by the mycobacterial repressor EthR. In previous studies, our group has developped EthR inhibitors shown to stimulate the bioactivation of ETH by EthA. These synthetic compounds led to boost the ETH efficacy three-fold in a M. tuberculosis-infected mice model. However, although active in animals, these compounds possess insufficient pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties for envisaging human clinical evaluation. The first objective of this work was therefore to define a “minimum acceptable profile” required for initiating pre-clinical studies. Systematic evaluation of the performance of more than 500 compounds led to the identification of leads compatible with the defined profile. Our second objective was to evaluate the benefit of the ETH boosting strategy in the management of MDR-TB. In 80% of cases, the use of our EthR inhibitors drastically decreased the minimum inhibitory concentration of ETH.In parallel, we conducted a fundamental study on the interactions between inhibitors and EthR by exploiting the large amount of compounds generated during the optimization blueprint. This way, we have identified a narrow region of the binding pocket of EthR that interacts in all cases with its inhibitors/ligands. For the first time in this TetR family of repressors, we have shown that this portion of the ligand-binding site is necessary and sufficient for the structural reorganization of the repressor. As such, the modification of a single amino acid in this region of the protein caused the same allosteric phenomena as those induced by inhibitors/ligands, which led to the inactive form of EthR.Unexpectedly, the optimization blueprint of EthR inhibitors led to the identification of a new family of compounds able to boost ETH in spite of their loss of interaction with EthR. Transcriptomics and NMR experiments showed that these compounds inhibit the ETH bioactivation independently of EthA. This novel pathway opens up extraordinary opportunities for TB treatment since these compounds significantly increase the effectiveness of ETH, not only against clinical MDR-TB strains, but also against clinical isolates resistant to ETH.The last objective was to transpose this boosting strategy to isoniazid (INH), the most commonly used antituberculosis drug. As ETH, INH is a prodrug. Its bioactivation depends on the catalase-peroxidase KatG whose level of expression is controlled by the transcriptional regulator FurA. Our objective was therefore to obtain specific FurA inhibitors. Due to the absence of crystallographic structure of FurA, which preclude a target based approach, our strategy was based on high-throughput screening of large chemical libraries. The first hits and their partial optimization are discussed in this work.

ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae are emerging worldwide and they are frequently multi-drug resistant, thus limiting treatment options for infections caused by these pathogens. The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a Swedish county. First, we developed a molecular method, a multiplex PCR assay for identification of SHV, TEM and CTX-M genes in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae with an ESBL phenotype. From 2002 until the end of 2007 all isolates of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Östergötland, Sweden were further investigated. The prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae was low, <1%, but increasing,while the antibiotic consumption remained unchanged. CTX-M enzymes, particularly CTX-M group 1, dominate in our region as well as in the rest of Europe. Furthermore, we have investigated antimicrobial susceptibility by performing MIC-testing in a large, well-characterized population of CTX-M-producing E. coli. Only three oral antimicrobial agents (fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin and mecillinam) demonstrated susceptibility above 90%. High susceptibility, >90%, was also demonstrated for carbapenems, colistin, tigecycline and amikacin. Sixty-eight per cent of ESBL-producing E. coli was multi-resistant, and the most common multi-resistance pattern was the ESBL phenotype with decreased susceptibility to trimethoprim, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tobramycin. Isolates belonging to CTX-M group 9 are generally more susceptible to antibiotics than the CTX-M group 1-producing E. coli. Finally, a prospective multicentre case-control study examined the prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in faecal samples before and after travel abroad and the risk factors of acquisition. Sixty-eight of 226 travellers (30%) had ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the faecal flora. The geographical area visited had the highest impact on acquisition, with highest the risk for travellers visiting the Indian subcontinent, followed by Asia and Africa north of the equator. Also, acquisition of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae during travel is associated with abdominal symptoms such as diarrhoea. Age also seemed to affect the risk of acquiring ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, the highest risks were found among travellers ≥ 65 years. This thesis has contributed to increased understanding of the epidemiology of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae and their susceptibility to both beta-lactam and non-beta-lactam agents.

Le Staphylococcus aureus résistant à la méthicilline (SARM) est un pathogène important qui a été identifié comme agent d‟infection chez les animaux d‟élevage et les travailleurs exposés à ces animaux. Au Canada, très peu d‟informations sont disponibles concernant les SARMs d‟origine porcine. L‟objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence des SARMs provenant de porcs à l‟abattoir, de caractériser leur résistance aux antibiotiques ainsi que d‟évaluer le niveau de séroconversion des porcs envers le S. aureus chez les animaux porteurs ou non du SARM. Un total de 107 isolats ont été identifiés positifs aux SARMs sur 660 échantillons. La prévalence de SARMs à l‟abattoir A était de 30,8% et de 23,8% à l‟abattoir B. La susceptibilité aux antibiotiques a été déterminée en utilisant la méthode de micro-dilution de Sensititre. Tous les isolats ont démontré une sensibilité envers la ciprofloxacine, la gatifloxacine, la gentamicine, la lévofloxacine, le linézolide, la quinupristine/dalfopristine, la rifampicine, la streptomycine, le triméthoprime/sulfaméthoxazole et la vancomycine. De la résistance a été observée envers la daptomycine (0,93%), l‟érythromycine (29%), la clindamycine (29%), la tétracycline (98,1%). De plus, 30% des SARMs isolés étaient résistants à plus de deux antibiotiques autres que les β-lactamines. Par typage, deux clones prédominants ont été obtenus ainsi que deux types de SCCmec (type V et possiblement un nouveau type comprenant les cassettes III et IVb). 15 clones ont été identifiés par typage MLVA, comprenant les clones prédominants VI (40.1%; 43/107) et XI (17.7%; 19/107). Deux souches de SARMs ont été caractérisées par biopuce à ADN et des gènes d‟antibiorésistance, de typage (SCCmec et MLST) et de virulence ont été identifiés. Sans considération pour le site de colonisation, les porcs SA-/MRSA- (n=34) et les porcs SA+ (n=194) montrent, respectivement, des taux de séroconversion de 20.6% et 32.5%. Les porcs colonisés par un SARM à un site de iv prélèvement et non colonisés par un SA à l‟autre site (n=18) montrent une séroconversion (5.6%) significativement (P < 0.05) plus faible comparativement aux porcs colonisés par SA à un ou deux sites de prélèvement et n‟ayant pas de SARM. Nos résultats démontrent que les porcs provenant d‟abattoir peuvent être colonisés par des SARMs multi-résistants aux antibiotiques. De plus, ces SARMs sont possiblement capable de coloniser leurs hôtes sans stimuler la production d‟anticorps et ce par l‟atténuation de la réponse immunitaire ou par la colonisation de porcs qui sont moins immunocompétents. / Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) found in food producing animals is a major public health concern. Transmission to humans has been reported and MRSA represents a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes. Little is known on how MRSA successfully establishes colonization and how it is able to persist in the host. This study was conducted to determine the occurrence and the antimicrobial resistance profile of MRSA from abattoir pigs and their level of seroconversion toward S. aureus (SA). A total of 107 isolates were identified as MRSA from 660 samples. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by broth microdilutions. Fifteen clones were identified by MLVA with clones VI (40.1%; 43/107) and XI (17.7%; 19/107) being the most predominant. All MRSA isolates were pvl-, tst-, eta- and etb-negative. Most isolates were SCCmec type V (70.1%; 75/107). All MRSA isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, gatifloxacin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin, rifampin, streptomycin, trimethroprim/sulfamethoxazole and vancomycin. However, resistance was observed toward clindamycin (29%), daptomycin (0.9%), erythromycin (29%) and tetracycline (98.1%). Multi-resistance was confirmed in MRSA since 28% of all isolates were resistant toward three antimicrobials other than β-lactams. The effect of MRSA carriage on seroconversion was examined to see whether the host responded differently to MRSA or SA colonization. The presence of SA-specific antibodies in pig serums was measured for each animal using indirect ELISA and a mixture of two widespread SA antigens (IsdH [HarA] and IsdB). Regardless of the colonization site, SA-/MRSA- pigs (n=34) and SA+ pigs (n=194) showed 20.6% and 32.5% seroconversion, respectively. Notably, pigs colonized by MRSA at one body site and no SA at the other sampling site (n=18) showed a significantly lower (5.6%) seroconversion (P < 0.05) compared to pigs colonized by SA at one or both vi sites without MRSA. The findings of the study show that the nares and axillae of abattoir pigs can harbor MRSA strains with multiple antimicrobial resistances. In addition, these MRSA were possibly able to colonize the host either without stimulating antibody production, by attenuating the immune response or by colonizing pigs that are less immunocompetent. This may explain the success of MRSA colonization and persistence in pigs. Further studies are required to better elucidate MRSA colonization in abattoir pigs and their public health risk.

No description available.