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ABSTRACT
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) associated with livestock is an emerging threat to public
health. Poultry production represents a key interface for the spread of such novel zoonotic and antibiotic resistant
pathogens. The occurrence of MRSA in chickens in two live bird markets and in chickens presented for clinical
purposes to the Avian Unit of Ahmadu Bello University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria was
investigated. One thousand four hundred samples in the form of swabs of trachea (400), cloaca (400), skin surface
(400) and joint (200) were collected from 200 live chickens and 200 chicken carcasses and examined for the
presence of Staphylococcus aureus. Thirteen (0.9%) of the samples, 7 from carcasses of slaughtered chickens and 6
from live birds in the live bird markets contained coagulase positive S. aureus. None was isolated from chickens in
the avian clinic. The 13 S. aureus isolates were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the presence
of mecA gene that codes for methicillin resistance. A PCR product of 533bp size consistent with the expected PCR
product size of mecA gene from a positive control strain was detected in 1 of the 13 S. aureus isolates. The presence
of MRSA in chicken carcasses and live birds in Zaria, Nigeria was demonstrated, highlighting the potential role of
poultry production in the spread of MRSA.
Keywords: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, mecA gene, chickens