| Staphylococcus aureus is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen carried by humans. Staphylococcus intermedius is a zoonotic pathogen showing a potential to infect humans. Transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance. In this project, biochemical tests combined with PCR were employed to identify the colonization rates of S. aureus and S. intermedius in pet industry employees and the transfer of erythromycin rRNA methylase genes, ermA and ermC, between them. The colonization rates of S. aureus and S. intermedius were 24% and 2% respectively, which were low and indicates daily contact with animals may not facilitate the transmission of these two species from animals to humans. No transfer of ermA or ermC genes from S. aureus isolates to S. intermedius was observed, even though transfer of ermA was observed between S. aureus, which indicates S. intermedius may not be able to transfer ermA and ermC to S. aureus. |
