This study investigated the presence of MRSA in sheep. The study was conducted in 2022 using 100 samples, including 50 raw milk samples and 50 nasal swabs obtained from 10 flocks of sheep that were housed in various places along the North Coast area of Egypt to identify and characterize MRSA. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated and identified from the samples using conventional bacteriological techniques, while MRSA was found using a culture on oxacillin resistance screening agar basal medium (ORSAB). The recovery rate of S. aureus in the examined samples of sheep was 54 and 18 %, in raw milk samples and nasal swabs of sheep, respectively. In addition, the prevalence of confirmed MRSA strains isolated from sheep samples was 51.6 and 66.7% in milk samples and nasal swabs, respectively with total prevalence of 55.6% (20 out of 36 isolates). The antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the MRSA isolates in this study revealed varying resistance patterns. The isolates had 100% resistance to Penicillin-G and Clindamycin, 90% resistance to Linezolid, 80% resistance to Cefoxitin and 70% resistance to Erythromycin. In short, strict hygiene and biosecurity protocols should be implemented on sheep farms to avoid this from turning into a serious illness that may be deadly. According to the present inquiry, MRSA was discovered in the milk and nasal samples of sheep grown on Alexandria's North Coast that appeared to be in good health.
Key words: MRSA, Antibiotic Resistance, Milk, Nasal swabs, sheep
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