Isolation of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus from a Pet Guinea Pig

Abstract

The increase of methicillin-resistant (MR) staphylococci in dogs and cats, and the spread of MR staphylococci to humans has become a concern, but there was no report on MR staphylococci in pet guinea pigs in Japan. A guinea pig, which was kept as a commercial pet in a shop, was sent to an animal hospital because it exhibited the main symptoms of alopecia. MR-Staphylococcus haemolyticus TUM14414 was isolated from the skin lesion, and S. haemolyticus TUM14414 was thought to be the bacteria causing dermatitis. In the drug sensitivity test, the isolated S. haemolyticus TUM14414 was resistant to fluoroquinolones, and susceptible to chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, glycopeptides, and aminoglycosides. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of S. haemolyticus TUM14414 showed that ① the mutation of S84L was detected in the quinolone resistance-determining region of the GyrA, and that ② SCCmec was type V, which was found in the community that had become infected. Because MR-S. haemolyticus was isolated from a pet guinea pig, there is the possibility that guinea pigs can transmit MR-S. haemolyticus to humans.