Introduction

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) are important pathogens in dogs with pyoderma. These strains carry the mecA gene, which encodes an altered penicillin-binding protein (PBP2a) that reduces the bacterial affinity to beta-lactam antibiotics (Wang et al. 2012; Weese, Van Duijkeren 2010).

Objectives

The goal of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of MRSP in dogs with superficial pyoderma in the veterinary teaching hospital of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), from March to June of 2013.

Methods

Skin lesions of 43 dogs clinically diagnosed with superficial pyoderma were sampled with sterile swabs. Then they were inoculated in culture media and the colonies isolated were submitted to genotypic tests to identify the species and the mecA gene (Mehrotra et al. 2000; Sasaki et al. 2010).

Results

Ninety-one percent (62/68) of the samples were classified as S. pseudintermedius and 36,7% (25/68) were shown to carry the mecA gene.

Discussion

The prevalence of 37% for mecA gene is in accordance with other studies performed with canine superficial pyoderma (Beck et al. 2012; Sasaki et al. 2007). In another study, a prevalence of 0,8% of MRSP was found in dogs; however, it included miscellaneous diseases with only 9% of skin conditions (Ruscher et al. 2009).

Conclusions

MRSP is prevalent in skin lesions of dogs with superficial pyoderma at the veterinary teaching hospital of UFMG, and the rates are according to other studies published. Attention should be given to this topic to prevent increasing rates of this important pathogen.