Genotypic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from rabbit lesions D. Viana a,1 , L. Selva a,1 , P. Segura a , J.R. Penade ´s b,c , J.M. Corpa a, * a Department of Atencio ´n Sanitaria, Salud Pu ´blica y Sanidad Animal (Histologı ´a y Anatomı ´a Patolo ´gica), Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, CEU-Cardenal Herrera University, Edificio Seminario, s/n, 46113 Moncada (Valencia), Spain b Department of Quı ´mica, Bioquı ´mica y Biologı ´a Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales y de la Salud, CEU-Cardenal Herrera University, Edificio Seminario, s/n, 46113 Moncada (Valencia), Spain c Centro de Investigacio ´n y Tecnologı ´a Animal, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA), Apdo 187, Polı ´gono La Esperanza, 100, 12400 Segorbe (Castello ´n), Spain Received 19 June 2006; received in revised form 9 December 2006; accepted 13 December 2006 Abstract Since staphylococcal infections are the main pathological problem in rabbit does, the objective of this study was to characterize epidemiologically Staphylococcus aureus isolates from different lesion types in rabbits. Using 3 genetic markers (coagulase, staphylococcal protein A and clumping factor B genes), 22 different genotypes were identified among 301 isolates recovered from 259 rabbit does with 10 different kinds of chronic purulent lesions. These infected rabbits were obtained from 30 herds located in the Valencia province on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The most frequent genotype was designated A1/II1/d (coa/spa/clfB combination genotype) and represented 70.76% of the isolates. Although most genotypes were previously identified in other countries, novel types were also documented. No specificity between genotypes and nature of the pathologic process could be identified. After genetic comparison between strains from different origins, the results may suggest that rabbit, bovine and human S. aureus isolates are not clonally related, suggesting that specific host-dependent pathogenic factors may have evolved independently in these species. These differences indicate that a rational and effective strategy to control infections caused by rabbit-specific isolates may be advantageous. # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; Rabbit; Typing; Pathology 1. Introduction Staphylococcus aureus is an adaptable, opportu- nistic pathogen, causing a wide spectrum of diseases. In animals, staphylococcal infections cause substantial economic loss in livestock industry worldwide (Mork et al., 2005). In rabbits, this www.elsevier.com/locate/vetmic Veterinary Microbiology 121 (2007) 288–298 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 96 1369000x1374; fax: +34 96 1395272. E-mail address: jmcorpa@uch.ceu.es (J.M. Corpa). 1 These authors contributed equally. 0378-1135/$ – see front matter # 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.12.003