Abstract
Background
The growing population of companion animals in Hong Kong may serve as potential reservoirs for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcaceae (MRS) due to close contact to humans. Therefore, we detected the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal flora of healthy cats and dogs from different anatomical sites.
Methods
Samples and metadata were collected from 91 healthy animals without antibiotics administration for 6 weeks, attending vet clinics in Hong Kong in 2025. Metadata including gender, age, diet and living condition etc. Nasal, oral, skin swabs were obtained from each animal. Samples were incubated in BHI broth containing 6.5% NaCl and plated on blood agar supplemented with 3.5mg/mL cefoxitin and 4mg/mL colistin. Colonies with staphylococcal morphologies were selected and identified by MALDI-TOF and screened for the mecA gene using PCR. The associations were determined by chi-square test.
Results
A total of 66 MRS strains were isolated from 37.36% (34/91) of total cats and dogs, with nearly identical carriage rates between cats（37.04%，20/54) and dogs (37.84%, 14/37). S. epidermidis and S. cohnii were distributed across all sites in both cats and dogs (S. cohnii, albeit in low numbers), with S. epidermidis being the most prevalent. MRSA was isolated from every site except the catsʼskin. The clinically relevant MR-S. pseudintermedius was primarily detected in dogs and one in cats. The additional methicillin-resistant species identified ranked by isolation frequency were S. hemolyticus, S. saprophyticus, Mammaliicoccus
sciuri, S. xylosus, and S. nepalensis. The main species in dogs were S. epidermidis, MRSP, S. hemolyticus and S. cohnii, while in cats were S. epidermidis, MRSA, and S. saprophyticus. Single-pet households (66.67%) exhibited a significantly lower MRS carriage rate than multi-pet households (33.33%) (χ² = 4.848, p = 0.0277), respectively, linking household density with MRS distribution.
Conclusions
Nearly 40% of the companion animals included in this study carried MRS. The predominant MRS species diverged slightly between dogs and cats. The results indicate that the healthy companion animals can carry MRS strains which constitute a public health concern. In future studies, we will perform long-read whole-genome sequencing on all MRS strains to enable subsequent analysis of mobile genetic elements associated with methicillin resistance.
The growing population of companion animals in Hong Kong may serve as potential reservoirs for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcaceae (MRS) due to close contact to humans. Therefore, we detected the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal flora of healthy cats and dogs from different anatomical sites.
Methods
Samples and metadata were collected from 91 healthy animals without antibiotics administration for 6 weeks, attending vet clinics in Hong Kong in 2025. Metadata including gender, age, diet and living condition etc. Nasal, oral, skin swabs were obtained from each animal. Samples were incubated in BHI broth containing 6.5% NaCl and plated on blood agar supplemented with 3.5mg/mL cefoxitin and 4mg/mL colistin. Colonies with staphylococcal morphologies were selected and identified by MALDI-TOF and screened for the mecA gene using PCR. The associations were determined by chi-square test.
Results
A total of 66 MRS strains were isolated from 37.36% (34/91) of total cats and dogs, with nearly identical carriage rates between cats（37.04%，20/54) and dogs (37.84%, 14/37). S. epidermidis and S. cohnii were distributed across all sites in both cats and dogs (S. cohnii, albeit in low numbers), with S. epidermidis being the most prevalent. MRSA was isolated from every site except the catsʼskin. The clinically relevant MR-S. pseudintermedius was primarily detected in dogs and one in cats. The additional methicillin-resistant species identified ranked by isolation frequency were S. hemolyticus, S. saprophyticus, Mammaliicoccus
sciuri, S. xylosus, and S. nepalensis. The main species in dogs were S. epidermidis, MRSP, S. hemolyticus and S. cohnii, while in cats were S. epidermidis, MRSA, and S. saprophyticus. Single-pet households (66.67%) exhibited a significantly lower MRS carriage rate than multi-pet households (33.33%) (χ² = 4.848, p = 0.0277), respectively, linking household density with MRS distribution.
Conclusions
Nearly 40% of the companion animals included in this study carried MRS. The predominant MRS species diverged slightly between dogs and cats. The results indicate that the healthy companion animals can carry MRS strains which constitute a public health concern. In future studies, we will perform long-read whole-genome sequencing on all MRS strains to enable subsequent analysis of mobile genetic elements associated with methicillin resistance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Presented - 20 Apr 2026 |
| Event | ESCMID Global 2026 - Messe München Am Messesee 2 D-81829 München, Munich, Germany Duration: 17 Apr 2026 → 21 Apr 2026 https://www.escmid.org/congress-events/escmid-global/munich-2026/ |
Conference
| Conference | ESCMID Global 2026 |
|---|---|
| Place | Germany |
| City | Munich |
| Period | 17/04/26 → 21/04/26 |
| Internet address |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Distribution of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcaceae (MRS) in Companion Animals in Hong Kong'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Cite this
- APA
- Author
- BIBTEX
- Harvard
- Standard
- RIS
- Vancouver