Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for MRSP infection in dogs and cats in Germany
By G. Lehner et al.·Published in Veterinary Microbiology·2014·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Case-control risk factor study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) infection in dogs and cats in Germany.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Germany found that cats and dogs are at risk of a tough-to-treat skin infection caused by a bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP). Pets that had been hospitalized, visited the vet frequently, or received certain treatments like ear medication or steroids were more likely to develop this infection. Interestingly, the study showed that MRSP infections were more common in pets with chronic skin issues, and the bacteria didn't seem to be influenced by previous antibiotic use. This suggests that MRSP is well-suited to living on dog and cat skin without needing extra help from medications.
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Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) has emerged as a highly drug-resistant small animal veterinary pathogen. Although often isolated from outpatients in veterinary clinics, there is concern that MRSP follows a veterinary-hospital-associated epidemiology. This study's objective was to identify risk factors for MRSP infections in dogs and cats in Germany. Clinical isolates of MRSP cases (n=150) and methicillin-susceptible S. pseudintermedius (MSSP) controls (n=133) and their corresponding host signalment and medical data covering the six months prior to staphylococcal isolation were analysed by multivariable logistic regression. The identity of all MRSP isolates was confirmed through demonstration of S. intermedius-group specific nuc and mecA. In the final model, cats (compared to dogs, OR 18.5, 95% CI 1.8-188.0, P=0.01), animals that had been hospitalised (OR 104.4, 95% CI 21.3-511.6, P<0.001), or visited veterinary clinics more frequently (>10 visits OR 7.3, 95% CI 1.0-52.6, P=0.049) and those that had received topical ear medication (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.8-14.9, P=0.003) or glucocorticoids (OR 22.5, 95% CI 7.0-72.6, P<0.001) were at higher risk of MRSP infection, whereas S. pseudintermedius isolates from ears were more likely to belong to the MSSP-group (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.03-0.34, P<0.001). These results indicate an association of MRSP infection with veterinary clinic/hospital settings and possibly with chronic skin disease. There was an unexpected lack of association between MRSP and antimicrobial therapy; this requires further investigation but may indicate that MRSP is well adapted to canine skin with little need for selective pressure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/24290489