Detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carrying the mecC gene in wild small mammals in Spain

Abstract

This is the first report of MRSA carrying mecC in faecal samples of wild small mammals in Spain. These resistant isolates carried genes of the IEC system, unusual in S. aureus from animals. Wild small mammals could be a reservoir of the mecC gene with important implications for public health.