Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRSA and MRSP bacteria in vets, pets, and clinics in Australia
By Kate A Worthing et al.·Published in Veterinary Microbiology·2018·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Methicillin-resistant staphylococci amongst veterinary personnel, personnel-owned pets, patients and the hospital environment of two small animal veterinary hospitals.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) was present in some dogs admitted to two veterinary hospitals in Sydney, but there was no evidence of transmission between the veterinary staff and their pets or the hospital environment. Specifically, MRSP was found in 7% of dogs admitted to the hospital and 8% of dogs owned by veterinary personnel, while no MRSA was detected in animals. The researchers noted that the MRSP strains in the dogs were different from those carried by the veterinary staff, indicating limited risk of spreading these resistant bacteria. Overall, the findings suggest that while MRSP is present in some dogs, the risk of transmission to humans or the environment in this setting is low.
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Abstract
This study investigated the transmission cycle of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) in small companion animal veterinary practice. Sampling was undertaken at two small animal veterinary hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Samples were collected from 46 veterinary personnel, 79 personnel-owned dogs and cats, 151 clinically normal canine hospital admissions and 25 environmental sites. Nasal swabs were collected from veterinary personnel. Nasal, oral and perineal swabs were collected from animals. Methicillin resistance was detected by growth on BrillianceTM MRSA 2 Agar and confirmed by cefoxitin and oxacillin broth microdilution for S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius, respectively. MRSA and MRSP isolates were characterised using whole genome sequencing including mecA gene screening and multilocus sequence typing. MRSA was isolated from four (8%) veterinary personnel but no animals. MRSP was isolated from 11/151 (7%) of canine hospital admissions and 4/53 (8%) of personnel-owned dogs but no veterinary personnel or cats. No MRSA or MRSP was isolated from the environment. MRSP isolates were resistant to significantly more antimicrobial classes than MRSA. The main MRSP clone carried by canine patients (ST496) was distinct to that carried by personnel-owned dogs (ST64). One veterinary nurse, who carried Panton Valentine leucocidin-positive ST338 MRSA, also owned a ST749 MRSP-positive dog. Besides MRSP-positive dogs from the same household sharing the same clone of MRSP, MRSA and MRSP were not shared between humans, animals or environment. Therefore, in the non-outbreak setting of this study, there was limited MRS transmission between veterinary personnel, their pets, patients or the veterinary environment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/30173756