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. 2019 Mar 13:8:54.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-019-0505-7. eCollection 2019.

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospital cockroaches

Zohreh Abdolmaleki  1 , Zohreh Mashak  2 , Farhad Safarpoor Dehkordi  3
Affiliations

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospital cockroaches

Zohreh Abdolmaleki et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Background: Cockroaches are one of the most important and frequent insects responsible for harboring, transmission and dissemination of human pathogens in the hospital environment. The present research was done to study the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance in the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospital cockroaches.

Methods: Five-hundred and thirty Periplanets americana and Blattella germanica cockroaches were collected and their gut content and external washing samples were subjected to bacterial isolation. MRSA strains were subjected to disk diffusion and PCR amplification of antibiotic resistance genes.

Results: Prevalence of MRSA strains in P. americana and B. germanica cockroaches were 52.77 and 43.33%, respectively. External washing samples of P. americana cockroaches had the highest prevalence of MRSA strains (59.57%). MRSA isolates of external washing samples harbored the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (100%), ceftaroline (100%), tetracycline (100%), gentamicin (83.33%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (80.55%). MRSA strains isolated from gut content samples harbored the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (100%), ceftaroline (100%), tetracycline (100%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (80%) and gentamicin (73.33%). BlaZ, aacA-D, tetK, msrA, dfrA, ermA, gyrA, grlA and rpoB were the most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes amongst the MRSA strains.

Conclusions: The present investigation is the first report of the phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of antibiotic resistance in the MRSA strains isolated from P. americana and B. germanica hospital cockroaches. Hospital cockroaches are considered as a potential mechanical vector for MRSA strains.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic resistance genes; Hospital cockroaches; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The study was approved by the Ethical Council of Research of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran (Consent Ref Number 1159706100005). Verification of this research project and the licenses related to sampling process were approved by the Dr. Zohreh Abdolmaleki and Dr. Zohreh Mashak (Approval Ref Number 25273).There was no consent for publication.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Gel electrophoresis of the mecA gene of the MRSA strains in PCR reaction. M: 100 bp ladder (Thermo Fisher Scientific, St. Leon-Rot, Germany), Lane 1: Positive control (MRSA ATCC 43300) Lanes 2–6: Positive samples for the mecA gene (293 bp) and Lane 7: Negative control (PCR grade water (Thermo Fisher Scientific, St. Leon-Rot, Germany))
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Prevalence of resistant MRSA strains in external washing and gut content samples of hospital cockroaches. Results were analyzed based on the total of 36 MRSA strains isolated from external washing and 15 MRSA strains isolated from gut content samples of hospital cockroaches
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Prevalence of resistant MRSA strains in P. americana and B. germanica hospital cockroaches. Results were analyzed based on the total of 38 MRSA strains isolated from P. americana and 13 MRSA strains isolated from B. germanica hospital cockroaches
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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