Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on retail meat in Iowa

Hanson, B.M.; Dressler, A.E.; Harper, A.L.; Scheibel, R.P.; Wardyn, S.E.; Roberts, L.K.; Kroeger, J.S.; Smith, T.C.

doi:10.1016/j.jiph.2011.06.001

« Previous Next »Journal of Infection and Public Health
Volume 4, Issue 4 , Pages 169-174, September 2011

Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on retail meat in Iowa

B.M. Hanson
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
A.E. Dressler
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
A.L. Harper
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
R.P. Scheibel
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
S.E. Wardyn
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
L.K. Roberts
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, United States
J.S. Kroeger
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, United States
T.C. Smith
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Iowa College of Public Health, United States
- Corresponding author at: C21-F General Hospital, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States. Tel.: +1 319 384 5755; fax: +1 319 384 5004.

Received 15 April 2011; received in revised form 31 May 2011; accepted 2 June 2011.

Summary

Several recent studies have indicated a high prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail-available meat. However, few studies have investigated MRSA in meat in the United States. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on meat samples available at retail stores. Samples of fresh raw pork, chicken, beef, and turkey were purchased from 22 food stores throughout Iowa. S. aureus strains were isolated from 27 of 165 samples, giving an overall prevalence of 16.4%. Turkey, pork, chicken, and beef had individual S. aureus prevalence rates of 19.4%, 18.2%, 17.8%, and 6.9%, respectively. Two isolates of MRSA were isolated from pork, giving an overall prevalence of 1.2%. One MRSA isolate was positive for the PVL gene. Common spa types included t034, t337, t008, and t002. These results suggest that MRSA is present on low numbers of retail meat in Iowa.

Keywords: MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus, Retail meat, Pork, Beef, Chicken, Turkey