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MedVet-Staph interdisciplinary research network on the zoonotic impact of staphylococcus aureus/MRSA (MedVet-Staph 2)

01/2014-04/2017

This third-party funded project is conducted in the framework of the BfR research programme onon exposure estimation and the assessment of biological risks.

BMBF grant number: 01KI1301C

Project homepage: www.medvetstaph.net

Project description:

Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are major zoonotic pathogens. Recent studies have demonstrated that MRSA of defined clonal lineages (predominantly the clonal complex (CC) 398) was found to colonise livestock including pigs, cattle and poultry and to reach colonisation rates of 43-70% among these animals in Germany, so that the term “livestock-associated MRSA” (LA-MRSA) had been introduced. The MedVet-Staph consortium was founded in 2010 to study the zoonotic impact of S. aureus/MRSA.

In its first research period (2010-2013) the MedVet-Staph consortium demonstrated that LA-MRSA causes a significant burden of human colonisation and (healthcare-associated) infection in the German population and in animals. During this period the research consortium gave 147 scientific presentations at national and international conferences and published >30 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals. Since 2014, the consortium has been continuing its work in a second research period.

BfR parts of the project:

Individual project (IP) 1: Risk of transmission of LA-MRSA from food to the consumer. This project consists of three scientific parts. First, experimental studies on the risk of cross contamination and transfer of MRSA in the kitchen environment will be conducted. In the second part, an experimental feeding trial will be conducted with pigs on the question of dose-response of MRSA after oral ingestion. Finally, it is planned to model the final step along the farm-to-food-chain, i.e. a possible transfer of MRSA in private households.

IP5: Investigations on the transmission dynamics of MRSA in primary production of pigs. This project aims to investigate contact patterns between pigs, between pigs and the personnel taking care of them, as well as between pigs and the environment. These investigations will be conducted in a real live scenario and under in vivo conditions. Results will be used to develop a model for MRSA transmission.

Project partners:

• Münster University Hospital, Germany (coordination)
• Saarland University Medical Center, Germany
• Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
• University of Würzburg, Germany
• Friedrich-Löffler-Institut, Germany
• Robert Koch-Institute, Germany
• Q-Bioanalytic GmbH , Germany

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