Genetic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from subclinical mastitis cases in dairy cows in Rwanda

Our data revealed a high diversity of the sequence types of S. aureus isolates causing subclinical mastitis in Rwanda. Two major cluster of ST97 and ST5477 are known to be bovine adapted and cause mastitis while the third cluster of ST152 usually have been found in humans and may signifying a recent transmission of these types from human to cows for example from hand milking. The STs were distributed without any geographic correlation. Penicillin resistance the most common type of resistance with a prevalence over 80% but also tetracycline and trimethoprim resistance were displayed by several isolates.