Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MRSA bacteria found in pet dogs in remote Australia
By Ma, Gemma C et al.·Published in Zoonoses and public health·2020·Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular characterization of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from pet dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 8 out of 303 dogs tested positive for a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a remote area of New South Wales, Australia. This bacteria can be a serious health risk and is often linked to humans. The dogs were swabbed from different areas, including their noses and any skin wounds, to check for the bacteria. Notably, no cats tested positive for MRSA, and no other resistant strains were found in the pets. This suggests that the MRSA in these dogs likely came from human sources, highlighting the need for more research on how these infections spread between people and pets.
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Abstract
Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious public health concern and in Australia, one that disproportionately affects Aboriginal people. Paralleling MRSA in human medicine, methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) is an increasingly prevalent pathogen in veterinary medicine. We aimed to characterize the carriage of MRSA and MRSP in dogs and cats from predominantly Aboriginal communities in a very remote region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Pets (303 dogs and 80 cats) were recruited from six communities in western NSW. Three swabs were collected from each animal (anterior nares, oropharynx and perineum) and from skin lesions or wounds (if present) and cultured on selective media for methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Human host-adapted community-associated MRSA representing four multilocus sequence types (ST1-IV, ST5-IV, ST72-IV, ST93-IV) were isolated from eight dogs (prevalence 2.6%, 95% confidence interval 1.3%-5.1%). Two ST5-IV isolates from a single dog were phenotypically trimethoprim-resistant, harbouring trimethoprim-resistant gene dfrG within the SCCmec type IVo mobile genetic element. MRSA was not isolated from any cats and MRSP was not isolated from any dogs or cats. This study estimated a high prevalence of human host-adapted community-associated MRSA carriage in dogs despite an absence of MRSP. This suggests MRSA carried by dogs in remote NSW originate from human hosts. The cycle of transmission between people, dogs and common environmental sources warrants further investigation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of trimethoprim-resistant ST5-IV in eastern Australia and the first report of trimethoprim-resistant ST5-IV from a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31867885/