Absence of Staphylococcus aureus in wild populations of fish supports a spillover hypothesis
Article
Matuszewska, M., Dabrowska, A., Murray, G., Kett, S., Vick, A., Banister, S., Pantoja Munoz, L., Cunningham, P., Welch, J., Holmes, M. and Weinert, L. 2023. Absence of Staphylococcus aureus in wild populations of fish supports a spillover hypothesis. Microbiology Spectrum. 11 (4). https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.04858-22
Type | Article |
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Title | Absence of Staphylococcus aureus in wild populations of fish supports a spillover hypothesis |
Authors | Matuszewska, M., Dabrowska, A., Murray, G., Kett, S., Vick, A., Banister, S., Pantoja Munoz, L., Cunningham, P., Welch, J., Holmes, M. and Weinert, L. |
Abstract | Staphylococcus aureus is a human commensal and opportunistic pathogen that also infects other animals. In humans and livestock, where S. aureus is most studied, strains are specialized for different host species. Recent studies have also found S. aureus in diverse wild animals. However, it remains unclear whether these isolates are also specialized for their hosts or whether their presence is due to repeated spillovers from source populations. This study focuses on S. aureus in fish, testing the spillover hypothesis in two ways. First, we examined 12 S. aureus isolates obtained from the internal and external organs of a farmed fish. While all isolates were from clonal complex 45, genomic diversity indicates repeated acquisition. The presence of a φSa3 prophage containing human immune evasion genes suggests that the source was originally human. Second, we tested for S. aureus in wild fish that were isolated from likely sources. In particular, we sampled 123 brown trout and their environment at 16 sites in the remote Scottish Highlands with variable levels of exposure to humans, birds, and livestock. This screen found no S. aureus infection in any of the wild populations or their environment. Together, these results support that the presence of S. aureus in fish and aquaculture is due to spillover from humans rather than specialization. Given the trends of increasing fish consumption, a better understanding of the dynamics of S. aureus spillover in aquaculture will mitigate future risks to fish and human health. |
Keywords | MRSA; brown trout; spillover; Scottish Highlands; host range |
Sustainable Development Goals | 14 Life below water |
Middlesex University Theme | Sustainability |
Publisher | American Society for Microbiology (ASM) |
Journal | Microbiology Spectrum |
ISSN | 2165-0497 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 21 Jun 2023 |
17 Aug 2023 | |
Publication process dates | |
Submitted | 29 Nov 2022 |
Accepted | 23 May 2023 |
Deposited | 02 Sep 2024 |
Output status | Published |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Copyright Statement | © 2023 Matuszewska et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.04858-22 |
PubMed ID | 37341608 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/16q683
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matuszewska-et-al-2023-absence-of-staphylococcus-aureus-in-wild-populations-of-fish-supports-a-spillover-hypothesis.pdf | ||
License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
File access level: Open |
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