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MRSA has been termed by the press as a “super-bug”. This refers to the resistance this bacteria has against several types of common antibiotics, especially those in the penicillin family. S. aureus is commonly found on the skin on people and it is estimated that about 2.6% of Americans carry MRSA on their skin or in their nasal passages. Worldwide, an estimated 53 million people are thought to be carriers of MRSA. First identified in 1961 in the United Kingdom, cases of MRSA have increased greatly in recent years. More than 94,000 people in the US are infected with MRSA each year and 19,000 die. This fact makes MRSA more common than AIDS in the US.
MRSA is commonly associated with infections acquired from hospitals (nocosomial infections). MRSA infections have increased hospital stay costs when compared to routine staph infections.
In 30 years, the percentage of staph infections that are MRSA has increased from 2% to more than 63%. MRSA has acquired a gene which binds penicillin and keeps the antibiotics from interfering with cell wall synthesis.
MRSA can also colonize the noses of our dogs and have been found on pigs and horses as well. Some equine hospitals have reported MRSA outbreaks.
Early data shows that MRSA may be a problem in our pets. Veterinary surgeons have reported MRSA associated with dogs that have had limbs amputated. It is important to remember that 90% of skin infections in dogs are actually associated with a different species of bacteria, Staphylococcus intermedius. Currently, a study at the veterinary college at the University of Missouri at Columbia is studying the possibility of MRSA spreading from pets to people. Because MRSA is common among healthcare workers, these pet owners will be divided into three groups: 1) those that are human health care workers, 2) those who are veterinary health care workers, and 3) non-health care workers.
The study is being partially funded by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Indiscriminate antibiotic use and the misuse of antibiotics have been implicated in the rise of MRSA worldwide.
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Sara Lash, DVM
Healthy Pets Mobile Vet
www.drsaralash.com
919-329-7387 (PETS)
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