Molecular epidemiology and environmental persistence of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive Staphylococci in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Thailand: Evidence for nosocomial transmission and One Health implications

Vet World Vol.18 December-2025 Article - 3

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(12): 3698-3712

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.3698-3712

Punpichaya Fungwithaya¹

, Jayaseelan Murugaiyan^2,3

, David J.Hampson⁴

, and Nuvee Prapasarakul^5,6

1. Office of Administrative Interdisciplinary Program on Agricultural Technology, School of Agricultural Technology, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520, Thailand.

2. Institute for Animal Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14163, Germany.

3. Department of Biological Sciences, School of Engineering and Sciences (SEAS), SRM University-AP, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh - 522 240, India. .

4. School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, 6150, Australia.

5. Center of Excellence in Diagnosis and Monitoring of Animal Pathogens, Chulalongkorn University, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

6. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand. .

Background and Aim: Methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive Staphylococci (MRCoPS), including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus coagulans (MRSC), are emerging zoonotic pathogens in veterinary hospitals, posing significant infection control challenges. This study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and clonal dissemination of MRCoPS across environmental surfaces, veterinary personnel, and canine patients at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Chulalongkorn University (VTH-CU), Thailand.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 216 environmental samples, 23 veterinary staff, and 14 canine patients. Isolates were identified using biochemical tests, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Methicillin resistance was confirmed by mecA gene detection. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated through disk diffusion following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Molecular typing was performed using staphylococcal cassette mec (SCCmec) PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Multivariate logistic regression identified environmental predictors of MRCoPS contamination.

Results: Among 88 coagulase-positive isolates, 62 (70.5%) were methicillin resistant, predominantly MRSP (91.9%), followed by MRSC (8.1%) and MRSA (1.6%). Floors represented the principal environmental reservoir, with significantly higher contamination odds than medical instruments (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] = 0.32; 95% confidence interval = 0.12–0.86; p = 0.024). The dermatological unit showed a six-fold higher risk of MRCoPS contamination than the medicine unit (AOR = 5.86; p = 0.027). All MRSC isolates carried SCCmec type V and displayed a consistent triple resistance pattern (gentamicin-clindamycin-erythromycin), while MRSP isolates exhibited diverse antibiograms and untypeable SCCmec elements. PFGE revealed clonal similarity (pattern A) between canine and environmental isolates, confirming the potential for nosocomial transmission.

Conclusion: MRCoPS, particularly MRSP, were widely distributed and persistent in the VTH-CU environment, despite routine cleaning. The clonal overlap among environmental and canine isolates highlights potential cross-contamination within the hospital. Strengthened disinfection protocols, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and regular environmental surveillance are imperative to mitigate the spread of multidrug-resistant staphylococci. This study highlights the importance of integrating environmental, animal, and human infection control practices in veterinary facilities within the context of One Health.

Keywords: coagulase-positive staphylococci, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, nosocomial infection, One Health, staphylococcal cassette mec typing, veterinary hospital.

How to cite this article: Fungwithaya P, Murugaiyan J, Hampson DJ, and Prapasarakul N (2025) Molecular epidemiology and environmental persistence of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive Staphylococci in a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Thailand: Evidence for nosocomial transmission and One Health implications, Veterinary World, 18(12): 3698-3712.

Received: 18-07-2025 Accepted: 29-10-2025 Published online: 07-12-2025

Corresponding author: Nuvee Prapasarakul E-mail: nuvee.p@chula.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.3698-3712

Copyright: Fungwithaya, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.