The isolaTion of meThicillin-resisTanT StaphylococcuS aureuS aT breeding pig faciliTies in croaTia

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have emerged worldwide and have became resistant to a variety of antibiotics. MRSA colonisation in pigs was first reported in the Netherlands at 2005, where pigs were implicated as a source of human MRSA infections. Dust samples were collected from six large pig farms in Croatia from breeding pig facilities. On each farm, between 5 and 6 samples were taken by swabs. Of the total 32 swabs, isolates from 8 swabs from four of the six examined farms grew pink colonies on the MRSA select agar. The mecA gene was detected in all 8 isolates growing pink colonies on the MRSA agar. All isolates are resistant to penicillin, ampicilin, oxacillin, oxitetracycline and streptomycin. All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, florfenicol and sulfametoxazole/trimethoprim.