Colonization of rabbits with Staphylococcus aureus in flocks with and without chronic staphylococcosis

Rabbits of 19 rabbitries were examined for the presence of Staphylococcus a ureus in nine different body sites. Seven rabbitries experienced epidemical ly spreading signs of staphylococcosis while the other 12 rabbitries did no t. S. aureus was isolated in all seven flocks that suffered from chronic pr oblems of staphylococcosis and in 11 of the 12 clinically healthy flocks. T he mean percentage of infected animals in these two groups was 90 and 43.3% , respectively. S. aureus was isolated from all body sites examined, but th e ear and the perineum were often more intensely colonized. The number of a nimals colonized with S. aureus and the mean number of positive body sites in S. aureus positive rabbits were significantly higher in rabbitries with chronic staphylococcosis. This indicates that colonization capacity of S. a ureus plays a role in epidemically spreading disease in rabbits. S, aureus isolates belonged to five different biotypes and 23 different phage types, Several different types simultaneously circulated in contaminated rabbitrie s and even simultaneously infected individual rabbits. Strains that belonge d to the biotype-phage type combination mixed CV-C, 3A/3C/55/71 only occurr ed in rabbitries chronically dealing with signs of staphylococcosis. This m ay indicate a relationship between phenotypic strain properties and virulen ce of S. aureus. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.