Staphylococci from the feces of different animal species: biotypes of Staphylococcus aureus strains of sheep and goat origin.

Staphylococcus aureus was found in 96% of the rectal swabs from 133 sheep and in 80% of the swabs from 125 goats. Seventy-seven percent of the isolates from both hosts exhibited the fibrinolytic and growth characteristics of human biotype A on human plasma and crystal violet agar, respectively, but 99% of these isolates resembled S. aureus of animal origin in their other properties. Only 21% of the sheep and 24% of the goat isolates were clearly identifiable as human biotype A and animal biotypes B and C.