Personnel from one broiler hatchery, and workers on 18 separate broiler parent farms which
supply the hatchery, were tested for hand and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus. In both
locations, nasal carriage of S. aureus was more common than hand carriage. A total of 63 S. aureus
strains were characterised by biotyping, protein A analysis and pulsed field gel electrophoresis
(PFGE) typing. Of these, 36 were recovered from broiler hatchery personnel, 14 from broiler parent
farm personnel and 13 from cases of skeletal disease in commercial broilers. Biotyping and protein
A analysis indicated that none of the strains recovered from hatchery personnel were of the poultry
biotype, but that two strains recovered from the hands of two broiler parent farm personnel could be
grouped together with 12/13 of strains recovered from skeletal disease in broilers, as poultry
biotypes. PFGE-typing could not distinguish 9/13 strains recovered from skeletal disease in broilers
and one of the strains from the broiler parent farm personnel from isolate 24 (I. 24), which is the
predominant S. aureus strain type associated with clinical disease in N. Ireland broiler flocks. The
present study found no evidence of nasal carriage of S. aureus strains of poultry biotype by humans.
The finding of hand carriage by broiler parent farm personnel, suggests that handling by personnel