MRSA in herds of fattening pigs in Germany- Associated risk factors

We investigated the association of putative risk factors with the prevalence of MRSA in herds of fattening pigs. Dust samples of 282 herds in Germany were collected in 2008. lnfonnation regarding herd characteristics and management practices was collected in a standardized questionnaire. Dust samples were pooled per farm and cultured using selective enrichment and chromogenic media. Presumptive MRSA-isolates were confirmed by multiplex-PCR for the detection of 16S rDNA, nuc and mecA genes. The association of management factors with prevalence was detennined using univariate logistic regression. Multivariate models were not used on account of substantial multicollinearity between the variables