A Look at MRSA in Companion Animals
MRSA is a major health concern for humans. However, studies are showing that is present in our companion animals as well. This adds a whole new layer to the risk of becoming infected with MRSA.
MRSA is responsible for many infections in human healthcare centers. However, it is now showing up in the general population. In other cases, human owners have passed MRSA to their dogs, only to be re-infected with the bacteria later on. Horses have also come down with their own strain of MRSA, which may have originated from a human strain.
A study was done at the University of Liverpool’s Small Animal Hospital and the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital. Horses, dogs, cats, and staff at the two hospitals were screened for MRSA so that the molecular characteristics could be compared. The goal was to determine where the bacteria originated from and how it was being transmitted.
Swabs were taken from the nasal passages of dogs, horses and staff; the surface of the nose in cats; the neck of horses; and the perineum of all the animals. These were then screened for MRSA, and cultures were done to see the susceptibility of the bacteria to different antibiotics.
The majority of the swabs taken from general cats and dogs were negative. One cat had a positive result to MRSA, and 4 dogs were positive for the equine version. 3 dogs with infections tested positive for MRSA at the infection, and a student that treated one of the dogs also got a positive test result a month later. Two of the eleven staff members tested positive for MRSA. The tests also showed that the MRSA isolates in the humans and dogs were identical.
Of the horses sampled, 11 out of 67 being treated at the equine hospital tested positive as carriers of MRSA. Three had MRSA infections. However, of the 12 staff members none tested positive.
The results of the study found that MRSA was being transmitted from humans to their dogs, with an identical strain of MRSA showing up in both species. The staff that treated a do that tested positive for MRSA also tested positive for the same strain. This strain was then responsible for infections of dogs at the clinic a few months later. While the study was able to prove that the bacteria can travel back and forth, it was unable to tell if the first case of MRSA originated at the dog or the staff. Since it appears that dogs can be reservoirs of MRSA, it poses and additional risk of infection to dog owners and veterinary staff. On the other hand, there did not appear to be any sign that transmission of MRSA had occurred between the horses and the human staff at the other hospital.
What does this mean for you? If you work at an animal hospital or own a dog, it can mean that you are at an increased risk for an MRSA infection. However, good hygiene, frequent hand washing, and proper wound care can help to protect both you and your pet.