Dataset - Csivincsik et al., 2026 - Pastured equines as potential bridge hosts of antimicrobial resistance at the human-environment interface

This dataset belongs to the manuscript 

Pastured equines as potential bridge hosts of antimicrobial resistance at the human-environment interface written by  Kimba Duncan Ombula, Dorka Németh, Brigitta Bóta, Izabella Zám, Rebeka Ráhel Nagy, Eszter Nagy, Ágnes Csivincsik, Tamás Tari, Gábor Nagy.

Abstract

Domestic animals have a close relationship with humans; therefore, the transmission of infections between them is well documented. We hypothesised that riding school horses, due to frequent interactions with humans and regular stay in paddocks, accumulate Staphylococcus bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from both handlers and the environment. At the same time, permanently pasture-kept animals would carry less diverse staphylococcal communities and AMR profiles. This hypothesis was tested on nasal swab samples collected from horses and donkeys in riding schools and pastures. Laboratory investigations used culture-based techniques complemented by identification and AMR determination using the VITEK-2 system. Contrary to our expectations, a significantly higher diversity was found in the bacterial communities and AMR profiles within pasture environments. Comparing study populations by husbandry system and host species indicated that husbandry has stronger effect on both bacterial diversity and AMR load than host species. Interestingly, Staphylococcus aureus was detected only in donkeys, while S. xylosus was predominant in horse samples. A potentially borderline resistance to oxacillin was detected in two isolates of S. xylosus, while all S. aureus isolates were susceptible to all tested antimicrobials. The comparison of summarised multiple antimicrobial resistance indices appeared to be significantly higher in pastured equines, while the occurrence of multidrug resistant phenotypes was uniform across all groups, suggesting an evenly distributed, low-level AMR load associated with grassland ecosystems.