Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Isolation and mecA Gene Detection from Milk and Farmer Hand Swab in Tulungagung, Indonesia

A. R. Khairullah (Division of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga)
S. C. Kurniawan (Master program of Animal Sciences, Department of Animal Sciences, Specialisation in Molecule, Cell and Organ Functioning, Wageningen University and Research)
O. S. M. Silaen (Doctoral Program in Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia)
M. H. Effendi (Division of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga)
S. A. Sudjarwo (Division of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga)
S. C. Ramandinianto (Lingkar Satwa Animal Care Clinic)
M. A. Gololodo (Department of Animal Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Nusa Cendana)
A. Widodo (Department of Health, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Airlangga)
K. H. P. Riwu (Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika)
D. A. Kurniawati (Indonesia Research Center for Veterinary Science)
S. Rehman (Doctoral Program of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga)

Tropical Animal Science Journal
Vol. 46 No. 2 (2023): Tropical Animal Science Journal

Staphylococcus aureus is a harmful bacterium that often contaminates milk; hence it is believed to become a severe health risk for humans. S. aureus resistant to β‑lactam drugs can be termed methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Dairy farms have a high incidence of MRSA infections due to the repeated use of the same medicines on dairy cows and the physical contact between farmers and cows during milking. This study looked for MRSA in dairy cow milk and farmer hand swabs in Tulungagung, Indonesia. Using oxacillin and cefoxitin diffusion disks, phenotypic detection approaches were evaluated, then transferred to the Oxacillin Resistance Screening Agar Base (ORSAB) test and genotypically verified using PCR to find the mecA gene encoding MRSA. One hundred ten dairy cow milk samples and 45 farmer's hand swabs were collected from Tulungagung, East Java, Indonesia. Mannitol salt agar (MSA) was used for cultivation and purification. The disk-diffusion test used oxacillin and cefoxitin to identify S. aureus resistance. Oxacillin and cefoxitin-resistant S. aureus isolates were tested for MRSA using ORSAB. In addition, MRSA isolates were PCR-tested for the mecA gene. S. aureus was found in 110 (70.97%) of 155 isolates. Of the total 110 isolates of S. aureus, 16 (14.54%) and 39 (35.45%) were known to be resistant to Cefoxitin and Oxacillin, respectively. When tested with ORSAB, 23 isolates from 55 resistant isolates showed positive results for MRSA. Dairy milk was the source of most MRSA which is 15 isolates, while hand swabs only carried 8 isolates. However, PCR analysis only found mecA gene in two isolates. According to this study, many MRSA isolates were found from dairy farms in Tulungagung, Indonesia, but only a few have the mecA gene.