The resistance of bacteria to some antibiotics is rampant nowadays. One of the genera of bacteria that has shown resistance to notable antibiotics is Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, this study aimed at isolation of S. aureus from the soils and wooden table surfaces in some abattoirs within Ilorin, Nigeria. The objectives of this study were to determine the counts of heterotrophic bacteria in the soils and wooden table surfaces at some abattoirs in Ilorin, Nigeria; characterize and identify the S. aureus isolates; determine the antibiotic resistance patterns of the isolates; and detect the presence of spa, mecA, and mecC in the isolates. The counts of viable bacteria and S. aureus, antibiotic susceptibility as well as the physicochemical characteristics were determined using standard methods. The heterotrophic bacterial counts of the soils and wooden table surfaces ranged from 1.0 x 105 – 3.4 x 107 and 2.1 x 105 – 1.0 x 108 cfu/g respectively. In addition, the counts of S. aureus in the soils and wooden table surfaces ranged from 1.0 x 103 – 3.0 x 107 and 1.0 x 103 – 3.1 x 106 cfu/g respectively. The S. aureus isolates were positive for Gram staining, catalase, oxidase, mannitol fermentation and coagulase test. All the S. aureus were resistant to ampicillin, and ceftazidime, followed by augmentin (82%), vancomycin, cefuroxime, and nitrofurantoin (55% each); gentamicin and ciprofloxacin (36%) and ofloxacin (18%). None of the isolates possess mecA gene while mecC and spa genes were detected in 45.5 and 54.5% of the isolates respectively. This is the first study in which mecC gene was detected in any S. aureus in Nigeria. It is concluded from this study that the soils and wooden table surfaces from the abattoirs harboured S. aureus some of which possessed mecC for antibiotic resistance and the virulent factor, spa genes.
Key words: S. aureus, antibiotic, methicillin resistance, spa gene
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