Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 12 (3): 244-249, 2013 ISSN 1680-5194 © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2013 Corresponding Author: Ahmed I. Youssef, Department of Animal Hygiene and Zoonoses, Division of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, 41522, Ismailia, Egypt 244 Clinical Features of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infection in Rabbits and its Zoonotic Potentials Dalia M. Hamed and Ahmed I. Youssef 1 2 Department of Poultry and Rabbit Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 1 Suez Canal University, 41522, Ismailia, Egypt Department of Animal Hygiene and Zoonoses, Division of Zoonoses, 2 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, 41522, Ismailia, Egypt Abstract: Staphylococcosis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in rabbitry is neglected as a cause of rabbit production impairment and zoonoses. This study aimed to monitor a rabbit flock problem associated with MRSA infection by following a rapid and simple sampling and diagnostic scheme. Resistance to antibiotics and zoonotic risk posed to human contact and food contamination were assessed. The identification of S. aureus was carried out by traditional bacteriological methods that confirmed with PCR. Results showed that a total of 80 (39.21%) out of 204 animals from apparently healthy rabbit were MRSA positive. The isolation rate was highest from nose/eye (26.47%), followed by skin affections (8.82%) and vaginal/perineum (3.92%) sampling sites. In post-mortem examination, MRSA was positive in 55 (26.96%) out of 204 animals. Isolation rate from lung was (22.05%) that was higher than from uterus (7.81%). Resistance to antibiotics was shown in 59.9% of the isolates. All tested isolates were methicillin and oxacillin resistant strains. Vancomycin and oxytetracycline also were resistant in 91.66% of strains. Ciprofloxacin is considered the drug of choice for treating multidrug resistant MRSA infections. MRSA was isolated from nasal swab of attendant and slaughterhouse workers (42.6%). In conclusion, high mortalities and infertility of rabbits caused by multi-drug resistant strains of MRSA with dissemination to environment and contamination of rabbit meat shed the light on its impacts on rabbit production and public health. Thus, large-scale epidemiological investigations of MRSA in rabbitry in Egypt are needed. Key words: Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, infertility, rabbit, antimicrobial, zoonoses INTRODUCTION Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic pathogen able to persist and multiply in a variety of environments and to cause a wide spectrum of diseases in humans and animal species (Cucarella et al., 2004). In particular, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections are major problem in rabbitries (Mork et al., 2005). Rabbit infections with S. aureus could be distinguished into low and high-virulent strains, in low virulent strains the disease remains limited to a small number of animals with minor economic significance, while infection caused by high-virulence strains causes an epidemic spread of disease in the rabbitry (Devriese et al., 1981; Hermans et al., 2000). International dissemination of high virulent S. aureus clone in rabbits has been reported (Vancraeynest et al., 2006). Clinical diseases caused by S. aureus infections in rabbits are dermal lesions, pododermatitis, abscesses and mastitis; consequently lead to poor production and mortality in young and infertility of the breeders (Corpa et al., 2009; Hermans et al., 2003). As a result of agalactia in the doe caused by S. aureus, suckling rabbits acquire infection during lactation that lead to high mortality rates in offspring. Therefore, staphylococcal mastitis is considered to be one of the main reasons for culling adult does from rabbitries (Rosell and de la Fuente, 2009; Segura et al., 2007). Moreover, chronic staphylococcosis infection renders infected rabbitries unremunerative, administration of antibiotics, disinfection of the environment and vaccination are not able to solve the problems (Hermans et al., 2003; Lee et al., 1996) and the only feasible method is to cope with rabbit staphylococcosis. From the public health perspective, although S. aureus transmission appears to be primarily between animals, indistinguishable isolates have been isolated from those with occupational exposure to animals (Armand- Lefevre et al., 2005; Voss et al., 2005). It has been reported that human biotypes of S. aureus can survive and colonized in rabbitries (Devriese, 1984; Hermans et al., 1999). Food chain contamination by S. aureus could be occur (Mead and Dodd, 1990). Moreover, there is an