Speaker
Description
Staphylococcal species are well-known zoonotic opportunistic pathogens leading to clinical symptoms that range from skin and soft tissue infections to severe blood stream infections as well as human food poisoning. In 2015, S. argenteus was defined as a separate species within the S. aureus complex but with a similar pathogenicity in humans, proven by occasional infectious disease and foodborne poisoning outbreaks especially in Asia and Australia.
To identify methicillin-resistant S. argenteus in the German food chain, we analysed ~6000 presumptive methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates that have been provided to the German NRL-Staph between 2014 and 2024, mostly in frame of the national zoonoses monitoring. In total, we identified and further characterised 12 mecA-positive S. argenteus strains by whole genome sequencing and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing. Because all identified S. argenteus isolates originated from Asian seafood, a small study on fish and seafood imports to Germany followed in 2024/2025 which resulted in further ten isolates. All isolates showed a highly clonal structure and less AMR than MRSA from seafood, but harbored relevant virulence genes like staphylococcal enterotoxin and immune evasion cluster genes.
In conclusion, AMR and potentially virulent S. argenteus strains are regularly present in fish and seafood from Asian regions, but have not yet been observed in German food products. The strains might represent a threat to human health.
Keywords
MRSA, virulence, resistance, food safety
| Registration ID | OHS25-58 |
|---|---|
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Senior Scientist |
| Junior Scientist Status | No, I am not a Junior Scientist. |
