title: Potential for pet animals to harbour methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus when residing with human MRSA patients.
abstract: Colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be persistent in people and is horizontally transmissible. The scientific literature suggests that domestic pets may also participate in cross-transmission of MRSA within households. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for MRSA carriage by pets residing in households with an MRSA-infected person. From 66 households in which an MRSA-infected patient resided, we screened 47 dogs and 52 cats using a swab protocol. Isolates from pets and humans were genotyped using two techniques and compared for concordance. Human participants completed a 22-question survey of demographic and epidemiologic data relevant to staphylococcal transmission. Eleven of 99 pets (11.5%) representing 9 (13.6%) of households were MRSA-positive, but in only six of these households were the human and animal-source strains genetically concordant. Human infection by strain USA 100 was significantly associated with pet carriage [OR = 11.4 (95% CI 1.7, 76.9); P = 0.013]. Yet, for each day of delay in sampling the pet after the person's MRSA diagnosis, the odds of isolating any type of MRSA from the pet decreased by 13.9% [(95% CI 2.6, 23.8); P = 0.017)]. It may be concluded that pets can harbour pandemic strains of MRSA while residing in a household with an infected person. However, the source of MRSA to the pet cannot always be attributed to the human patient. Moreover, the rapid attrition of the odds of obtaining a positive culture from pets over time suggests that MRSA carriage may be fleeting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. domorris@vet.upenn.edu
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lautenbach
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaoutis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leckerman
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Edelstein
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Rankin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D000818:Animals; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D057805:Pets / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial