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Yanling Liu, Wenhui Li, Qian Dong, Yangqun Liu, Xiaohua Ye School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yangqun Liu; Xiaohua YeSchool of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, 283# Jianghai Dadao, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +862034055355Email 136437677@qq.com; smalltomato@163.comBackground: The distinction between livestock-associated and human-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become more and more blurred. This study aimed to reveal the transmission risk of livestock-associated and non-livestock-associated S. aureus (including MRSA and multidrug-resistant S. aureus [MDRSA]) by occupational pig exposure.Methods: A total of 591 pig-exposed workers and 1178 non-exposed workers were enrolled in this study. All nasal S. aureus isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility and molecular characteristics. Logistic regression models were used to examine the dose–response relationships between occupational pig exposure and S. aureus carriage.Results: Pig-exposed workers had significantly higher carriage rates of MRSA (OR=6.29, 95% CI: 3.38∼ 11.68) and MDRSA (OR=3.17, 95% CI: 2.03∼ 4.96) than non-exposed workers. Notably, we found dose–response relationships between occupational pig exposure and MRSA or MDRSA carriage. Using genotypic and phenotypic markers for differentiating livestock-associated and non-livestock-associated S. aureus, we also revealed dose–response relationships occupational pig exposure and livestock-associated or non-livestock-associated S. aureus carriage.Conclusion: Our findings provide sufficient epidemiological evidence for revealing the high transmission risk of livestock-associated S. aureus and the low transmission risk of non-livestock-associated S. aureus by occupational pig exposure.Keywords: livestock, human, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, multidrug-resistant S. aureus, transmission

Although increasing studies have indicated a strong relationship between livestock exposure and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in humans, the risk magnitude of cross-species transmission of livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) is still unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the potential effect of livestock exposure on LA-MRSA (including CC398/CC9, scn-negative, and tetracycline-resistant isolates) transmission. The summary estimates were pooled by random-effects models using the DerSimonian & Laird (DL) method and the Bayesian method. Twenty-two studies were included in this meta-analysis. Livestock-exposed people demonstrated a significantly higher rate of livestock-associated S. aureus (LA-SA) carriage than non-exposed people (Bayesian estimates: OR = 5.23 for CC398/CC9; OR = 2.35 for scn-negative isolates; OR = 3.86 for tetracycline-resistant isolates). Similarly, there was a greater positive association between livestock exposure and LA-MRSA carriage in humans ((Bayesian estimates: OR = 7.64 for CC398/CC9; OR = 7.54 for scn-negative isolates; OR = 9.89 for tetracycline-resistant isolates), indicating that livestock exposure increases the risk of LA-MRSA carriage in humans. These findings provide evidence for revealing the high risk of cross-species LA-MRSA transmission by livestock exposure.

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a wide variety of serious infections worldwide. There are few studies on the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility, and molecular characteristics of MRSA contamination in the environment of airports. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. Environmental surface sampling was conducted in frequently touched locations for S. aureus analysis. All isolates were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance genes, and virulence genes. Data were analyzed by chi-squared test and correspondence analysis. Results Of the 1,054 surface samples, the contamination rate was 7.2% (76/1,054) for S. aureus and 2.2% (23/1,054) for MRSA. There were 62.9% (56/89) S. aureus isolates classified as multidrug resistant (MDR), with six linezolid-resistant isolates and two cfr-carrying isolates. The most prevalent S. aureus genotypes were CC6 (ST6), CC59 (ST59), and CC188 (ST188), with ST59-MRSA-IV (pvl-) as the predominant MRSA. There were significant differences between methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive isolates in rates of resistance to tetracycline (P

Dan Guo, Yangqun Liu, Changlin Han, Zhiyao Chen, Xiaohua Ye Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China Background: Routine non-therapeutic antimicrobial use and overcrowding in animal farming may facilitate the propagation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study aimed to examine the carriage prevalence and phenotype–genotype characteristics of MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolated from pigs. Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from 1,458 pigs in 9 pig farms and 3 slaughterhouses. All strains were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, resistance genes, and virulence genes, and characterized by multilocus sequence typing. The correspondence analysis was conducted to explore the relationships between multiple phenotypic and molecular characteristics of S. aureus isolates. Results: In the 1,458 pigs, the carriage prevalence was 9.5% for S. aureus, 3.3% for MRSA, and 9.3% for multidrug-resistant S. aureus. Notably, 97.1% S. aureus isolates were multidrug resistant, and the predominant resistance pattern was non-susceptible to clindamycin, tetracycline, and erythromycin. The predominant genotype was CC9 (ST9) for S. aureus and MRSA isolates. Importantly, all S. aureus isolates were negative for the scn gene and resistant to tetracycline. Notably, all 9 linezolid-resistant isolates were classified as multidrug resistance, including 1 expressing the cfr gene and 6 expressing the optrA gene. The correspondence analysis showed a significant relationship between clonal complexes and resistance pattern or virulence genes. For example, CC9 was associated with extensive drug-resistance and co-carrying chp, sak, and hlb, and CC1 was associated with multidrug resistance and co-carrying sak and hlb. Conclusion: The significant correspondence relationship between multiple characteristics provides some implication for vaccine strategies and new ideas for monitoring new epidemiologic clones. Keywords: livestock, animals, Staphylococcus aureus, antimicrobial susceptibility, multidrug resistance, molecular characterization

Although previous studies have suggested an association between livestock exposure and the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage in humans, it remains unclear whether there is a dose–response relationship. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between livestock exposure and MRSA carriage. Pooled risk estimates were calculated using fixed-effects or random-effects models based on homogeneity analysis. A dose–response meta-analysis based on linear and non-linear regression was performed to explore the frequency–risk relationship between livestock exposure and MRSA carriage. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity among eligible studies. A total of 25 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Livestock exposure was significantly associated with an increased risk of MRSA carriage [odds ratio (OR) = 7.03, 95% confidence interval 4.29–11.52], and similar positive associations were observed for pig (OR = 11.41), poultry (OR = 6.20) and cattle (OR = 5.66) exposure. Regarding studies on ordinal and continuous frequency of livestock exposure, a monotonically increasing frequency–risk relationship between livestock (or pig) exposure and MRSA carriage was consistently observed. This study found a monotonically increasing frequency–risk relationship between livestock exposure and MRSA carriage, which provides evidence for potential livestock-to-human transmission of MRSA.

Previous studies have suggested an association between secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and risk of depressive symptoms. However, it remains unclear whether there is a dose&ndash, response relationship. The effect estimates were pooled using fixed-effect or random-effect models based on homogeneity analysis. The dose&ndash, response meta-analysis was performed by linear and non-linear regression. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the possible sources of heterogeneity. Twenty-four studies were included in this meta-analysis. SHS exposure was significantly associated with increased odds of depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25&ndash, 1.39). For SHS exposure expressed as an ordinal variable, the dose&ndash, response meta-analysis revealed a monotonically increasing relationship between SHS exposure and depressive symptoms. A similar dose&ndash, response relationship was observed for SHS exposure expressed as a continuous variable (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.26&ndash, 1.87). Our findings suggest that SHS exposure is associated with increasing odds of depressive symptoms in a dose&ndash, response manner.