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Volume 14
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10.3390/antibiotics14020188
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Article

Clonality, Virulence Genes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Dairy Ruminants in Mastitic Milk-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Sicily

by
Nunziatina Russo
1,2,†,
Nunzio Alberto Fazio
1,†,
Francesca Licitra
3,
Joanna Gajewska
4,
Alessandro Stamilla
1,
Rosario Salonia
5,
Wioleta Chajęcka-Wierzchowska
4,
Cinzia L. Randazzo
1,2,
Cinzia Caggia
1,2,*,
Francesco Antoci
5 and
Giuseppe Cascone
5
1
Di3A—Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
2
ProBioEtna srl, Spin Off of University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy
3
Servizio Igiene Alimenti di Origine Animale (SIAOA), Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale (ASP), Via S. Giovanni Bosco 6, 97100 Ragusa, Italy
4
Department of Food Microbiology, Meat Technology and Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Plac Cieszyński 1, 10-726 Olsztyn, Poland
5
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Sicily, 90129 Palermo, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Antibiotics 2025, 14(2), 188; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020188
Submission received: 19 January 2025 / Revised: 7 February 2025 / Accepted: 10 February 2025 / Published: 12 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Resistance of Pathogens Isolated from Bovine Mastitis)
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Abstract

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent pathogens causing mastitis in dairy animals and represents a serious issue of public health concern due to its resistance against multiple antimicrobials. Objectives: This study assessed 101 S. aureus isolates obtained from quarter milk of animals with subclinical mastitis in the Ragusa area (Sicily, Italy). Methods: Antibiotic resistance against nine antibiotics was evaluated using the Kirby–Bauer method, and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values were measured for oxacillin (OXA) and vancomycin (VA). Additionally, the isolates were genetically characterized through multiplex PCR to identify the presence of spa, mecA, mecC, pvl, vanA, vanB, and vanC genes, along with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Results: The highest rates of antibiotic resistance were found against gentamicin (47.5%) and erythromycin (29.7%), with 86.1% of strains exhibiting resistance to at least two antimicrobials and 33.7% showing resistance to three antimicrobial classes. Furthermore, the results indicated that the presence of antibiotic resistance genes was not correlated with phenotypic resistance, and a phylogenetic analysis revealed varying phenotypic resistance profiles even within the same PFGE cluster. Lastly, alongside a new allelic profile ST 9471, MLST analysis identified five additional STs clustered into three CCs, with CC5 originating from human ancestral strains through human-to-animal host transfers, making it the dominant group. Conclusions: This study provided valuable insights into regional trends, allowing for the identification of significant antibiotic-resistant patterns and offering an understanding of bacterial dynamics in these environments, underscoring the importance of routine resistance surveillance in dairy farms.
Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; antimicrobials; multi-drug resistance; MLST Staphylococcus aureus; antimicrobials; multi-drug resistance; MLST
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MDPI and ACS Style

Russo, N.; Fazio, N.A.; Licitra, F.; Gajewska, J.; Stamilla, A.; Salonia, R.; Chajęcka-Wierzchowska, W.; Randazzo, C.L.; Caggia, C.; Antoci, F.; et al. Clonality, Virulence Genes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Dairy Ruminants in Mastitic Milk-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Sicily. Antibiotics 2025, 14, 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020188

AMA Style

Russo N, Fazio NA, Licitra F, Gajewska J, Stamilla A, Salonia R, Chajęcka-Wierzchowska W, Randazzo CL, Caggia C, Antoci F, et al. Clonality, Virulence Genes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Dairy Ruminants in Mastitic Milk-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Sicily. Antibiotics. 2025; 14(2):188. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020188

Chicago/Turabian Style

Russo, Nunziatina, Nunzio Alberto Fazio, Francesca Licitra, Joanna Gajewska, Alessandro Stamilla, Rosario Salonia, Wioleta Chajęcka-Wierzchowska, Cinzia L. Randazzo, Cinzia Caggia, Francesco Antoci, and et al. 2025. "Clonality, Virulence Genes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Dairy Ruminants in Mastitic Milk-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Sicily" Antibiotics 14, no. 2: 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020188

APA Style

Russo, N., Fazio, N. A., Licitra, F., Gajewska, J., Stamilla, A., Salonia, R., Chajęcka-Wierzchowska, W., Randazzo, C. L., Caggia, C., Antoci, F., & Cascone, G. (2025). Clonality, Virulence Genes, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Dairy Ruminants in Mastitic Milk-Associated Staphylococcus aureus in Sicily. Antibiotics, 14(2), 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14020188

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