Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics including methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Our study investigated the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in a total of 95 and 86 sheep and goat, respectively in different healthy conditions (apparently healthy, pneumonia, enteritis and pneumoenteritis) using routine bacteriological identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The results showed that S. aureus in sheep was detected in 25, 31.25, 43.3 and 20 %, in apparently healthy, pneumonia, enteritis and pneumoenteritis cases, respectively in nasal swabs and 12.5, 20.8, 16.6 and 17.5 %, respectively in fecal swabs. While in goats, S. aureus was detected in 25, 26, 15.3, 14.2 % in apparently healthy, pneumonia, enteritis and pneumoenteritis cases, respectively in nasal swabs and 12.5, 8.3, 11.5, 14.2 %, respectively in fecal swabs. Further, the isolates were studied for their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns using 9 antibiotics commonly used. S. aureus isolated from nasal or fecal swabs from healthy sheep and goat were 100% resistant to Ampicillin, Amoxycillin and Penicillin, while S. aureus isolated from nasal and fecal swabs from sheep with pneumointeritis were 50 % resistant to Methicillin and Oxacillin. All S. aureus isolates were 100 % sensitive to Ciprofloxacin and Gentamycin making them the drugs of choice for the treatment of different disease conditions caused by S. aureus in sheep and goat.