Incidence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci in Fresh Seafood

Abstract

The occurrence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci was investigated in fresh seafood, seafood products and related samples. Staphylococci were isolated from 13 (68.42%) fresh seafood samples, while 3 (15.78%) samples harbored coagulase-positive S. aureus. Resistance to methicillin was observed in 16 isolates of Staphylococcus spp., 15 of which were coagulase-negative S. aureus (MR-CoNS) and one was a coagulase-positive S. aureus (MRSA). The mecA gene is detected by PCR in 10 MR-CoNS and one MRSA strain. The lmrS gene, which codes for a multidrug efflux pump LmrS, is detected only in coagulase-positive isolates.