1Department of Veterinary Microbiology, C.V. Sc & A. H., Jabalpur, India
2Centre for Wildlife Forensic and Health, N.D.V.S.U., Jabalpur, India
3Animal Biotechnology Centre, N.D.V.S.U., Jabalpur, India
4Department of Veterinary Medicine, C.V. Sc & A. H., Jabalpur, India
5Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, C.V. Sc & A. H., Jabalpur, India
*Corresponding author: N Shrivastava; Email: neerajvet32@gmail.com
Online published on 24 April, 2017.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a dreaded pathogen in human and veterinary medicine. MRSA as a cause of mastitis in dairy cattle has got profound economic and serious public health significance. A total of 111 dairy cattle were screened for mastitis by CMT from six dairy farms of Jabalpur. The 85 mastitis milk samples were screened for MRSA by bacterial culture method using cefoxitin for enrichment. The MRSA strains were identified and characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods for virulence determinants and methicillin resistance. The MRSA strains showed β-haemolysis as a predominant haemolysis pattern. The strains were positive for mecA gene which is considered as a gold standard for the confirmation of methicillin resistance. The prevalence of MRSA mastitis in dairy cattle was 16.47%. The MRSA strains were positive for the virulence factors associated with pathogenicity. The economic and public health implication of the finding is discussed.
MRSA, Prevalence, mastitis, dairy cattle
