Open AccessPrevalence and Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus on Public Recreational Beaches in Northeast Ohio
Author(s) -
Thapaliya Dipendra,
Hellwig Emily J.,
Kadariya Jhalka,
Grenier Dylan,
Jefferson Anne J.,
Dalman Mark,
Kennedy Kristen,
DiPerna Mackenzi,
Orihill Adrienne,
Taha Mohammed,
Smith Tara C.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geohealth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 12
ISSN - 2471-1403
DOI - 10.1002/2017gh000106
Subject(s) - staphylococcus aureus , panton–valentine leukocidin , microbiology and biotechnology , staphylococcal infections , medicine , multilocus sequence typing , veterinary medicine , methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus , biology , bacteria , biochemistry , genetics , genotype , gene
Staphylococcus aureus can cause severe life‐threatening illnesses such as sepsis and endocarditis. Although S. aureus has been isolated from marine water and intertidal beach sand, only a few studies have been conducted to assess prevalence of S. aureus at freshwater recreational beaches. As such, we aimed to determine prevalence and molecular characteristics of S. aureus in water and sand at 10 freshwater recreational beaches in Northeast Ohio, USA. Samples were analyzed using standard microbiology methods, and resulting isolates were typed by spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. The overall prevalence of S. aureus in sand and water samples was 22.8% (64/280). The prevalence of methicillin‐resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 8.2% (23/280). The highest prevalence was observed in summer (45.8%; 55/120) compared to fall (4.2%; 5/120) and spring (10.0%; 4/40). The overall prevalence of Panton‐Valentine leukocidin genes among S. aureus isolates was 21.4% (15/70), and 27 different spa types were identified. The results of this study indicate that beach sand and freshwater of Northeast Ohio were contaminated with S. aureus , including MRSA. The high prevalence of S. aureus in summer months and presence of human‐associated strains may indicate the possibility of role of human activity in S. aureus contamination of beach water and sand. While there are several possible routes for S. aureus contamination, S. aureus prevalence was higher in sites with wastewater treatment plants proximal to the beaches.