GENOTYPIC PROFILE OF Staphylococcus Spp. STRAINS ISOLATED FROM ULCERATIVE KERATITIS IN DOGS

• Grant number: 24/00239-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Paola Castro Moraes
• Grantee: Pamella Almeida Freire Casemiro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Ulcerative keratitis in dogs is a common eye condition and has a multifactorial origin. They result in a decrease in visual acuity and even total loss of the patient's vision, especially in cases where there is no adequate treatment. Often, ulcers are contaminated by saprophytic bacteria from the normal conjunctival microbiota and, due to corneal injury, they are capable of infecting and degrading it through the action of their enzymes. Staphylococcus spp. is most isolates in canine eyes, and it is known that for control and positive prognosis of the condition, the use of appropriate antimicrobials is essential for the success of clinical treatment. However, unrestrained use poses a unique global health risk, not unlike veterinary ophthalmology, which faces challenges as it increasingly faces complex cases with bacteria resistant to available active ingredients. In this sense, the present project proposes the genetic characterization and detection of resistance genes of Staphylococcus spp. isolated in canine eyes affected by ulcerative keratitis in different degrees of evolution. The detection of resistance genes will be through PCR, and a comparison of the genetic diversity profile will also be carried out using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). It is expected to find a high rate of strains of Staphylococcus spp with resistance genes important for unique health, as well as to correlate the strains with each other and try to find genetic similarity between them. As a result, this project will contribute to identifying the potential for dissemination of microorganisms, which is important for epidemiological surveillance of the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria.