Study on MRSA and Companion Pets

Since MRSA (a nasty, antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria) has been a topic of discussion both here and in the Nutrition forum lately, I thought of TCS when this article dropped into my inbox. It's good news, as reported by the Winn Feline Foundation:

"...Out of nearly 1700 animals tested, including 540 cats, only 26 animals were found to be colonized with MRSA; of these, 8 were cats. In evaluating risk factors among animals for carriage of MRSA, the investigators found that it is rare among companion animals. They also concluded that animals from which MRSA can be cultured are likely contaminated from their human companions, and do not serve as reservoirs for the bacteria."

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Naturally, the full study must be purchased to be read, but this is still good to know info.

AC

This is useful info...
thanks for sharing it with us.

Edit....
I had MRSA on my elbow a few years ago,
I got to emergency early so it healed rather easily.
I am glad to know, in case I ever have it again that my cats will be ok.

Yes, my understanding is that MRSA is the human form, and that while cats (and other companion animals) can be carriers (as the study indicates, most likely from humans themselves), they have their own version of antibacterial resistant bacteria, called MRSI (methicillin resistant staphylococcus intermediary. MRSA is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).

Those with therapy animals do need to be more careful if you're taking them to nursing homes/medical facilities.

Originally Posted by LDG

Yes, my understanding is that MRSA is the human form, and that while cats (and other companion animals) can be carriers (as the study indicates, most likely from humans themselves), they have their own version of antibacterial resistant bacteria, called MRSI (methicillin resistant staphylococcus intermediary. MRSA is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus).

Those with therapy animals do need to be more careful if you're taking them to nursing homes/medical facilities.

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Yep, companion animals can also be affected by a slightly different version of MRSA. Thankfully, people "virtually never" get MRSI from animals. And on the rare occasions we transmit a MRSA colonization to our cats, it's believed they are able to clear the bacteria without any assistance, so the colonization is only temporary.

Here's an article by Christie Keith, who's dog contracted both MRSA and MRSI (and from which I pulled the "virtually never" quote): "Superbug bites dog / Drug resistant staph infections aren't just for humans anymore" (Strangely enough, that is the ONLY reference to MRSI I can find anywhere online, including any of the veterinarian services networks and blogs I follow. )

Here's another Winn article specifically addressing MRSA and therapy cats: "MRSA In Cats In Animal Assisted Therapy".

AC