Outbreak of mastitis in sheep caused by multi-drug resistant Enterococcus faecalis in Sardinia, Italy

Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Mar;141(3):582-4. doi: 10.1017/S0950268812000647. Epub 2012 May 18.

Abstract

An outbreak of infective mastitis due to Enterococcus faecalis occurred in an intensive sheep farm in north Sardinia (Italy). E. faecalis, which is only rarely isolated from sheep milk, was unexpectedly found in 22·3% of positive samples at microbiological examination. Forty-five out of the 48 E. faecalis isolates showed the same multi-drug resistance pattern (cloxacillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, clindamycin, oxytetracycline). E. faecalis isolates were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and all 45 multi-drug resistant strains showed an indistinguishable macrorestiction profile, indicating their clonal origin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an outbreak of mastitis in sheep caused by E. faecalis.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Clindamycin / pharmacology
  • Cloxacillin / pharmacology
  • Dairying
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Enterococcus faecalis / drug effects
  • Enterococcus faecalis / isolation & purification*
  • Female
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Kanamycin / pharmacology
  • Mastitis / epidemiology
  • Mastitis / microbiology
  • Mastitis / veterinary*
  • Milk / microbiology*
  • Oxytetracycline
  • Sheep
  • Sheep Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Sheep Diseases / microbiology*
  • Streptomycin / pharmacology

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Clindamycin
  • Kanamycin
  • Cloxacillin
  • Oxytetracycline
  • Streptomycin