Many investigations have been focused on the transmission of MRSA from livestock but this study in Germany focused on dogs cats and guinea pigs. In nearly every case the pet and its owner were infected with the same type of MRSA. Obviously the pet infected the owner or the owner infected the pet.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans.. MRSA is any strain of Staphylococcus aureus that has developed, through the process of natural selection, resistance to antibiotics, which include the penicillins (methicillin, dicloxacillin, nafcillin, oxacillin, etc.) and the cephalosporins. MRSA is not especially virulent in fact it can live in your nose for several years without causing disease. Its resistance to antibiotics makes it harder to treat when a disease develops. There were over 3700 deaths from MRSA in the United States last year.
MRSA is especially troublesome in hospitals, prisons and nursing homes, where patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of infection than the general public
The authors of this study feel that transmission MRSA between companion animals and their owners in household environments needs further studied. Even so it may be wise to have your prt checked out at the veterinarian.
Source Emerging Infectious Diseases. Vol 18 No. 12
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