Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for MRSP infection in dogs and cats in Germany
By Lehner, Georg et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2014·Tierä, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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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 with certain risk factors are more likely to get a tough-to-treat skin infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP). Cats are at a much higher risk than dogs, especially if they have been hospitalized or visited the vet frequently. Pets that received topical ear medications or glucocorticoids (a type of steroid) were also more likely to develop this infection. The findings suggest that MRSP infections are linked to veterinary clinic visits and possibly chronic skin issues. More research is needed to understand why MRSP is so well adapted to living on dog skin without needing antibiotics to survive.
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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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24290489/