title: Molecular epidemiological analysis to assess the influence of pet-ownership in the biodiversity of Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA in dog- and non-dog-owning healthy households.
abstract: It has been suggested that zoonotic transmission of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) can occur between owners and their pets within the same household. However, the influence that pet-ownership could have in the biodiversity of SA/MRSA strains circulating among owners is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to perform a molecular epidemiological analysis to evaluate and compare the biodiversity of SA/MRSA strains in dog-owning and non-dog-owning healthy households within the same community. Antimicrobial resistance, SCCmec type, USA type and clonality were assessed. Overall, 33·1% (165/499) of human subjects carried SA and 2·8% (14/499) carried MRSA. Among dogs, 7·1% (8/113) carried SA but none were MRSA positive. No difference was detected in the diversity index of SA/MRSA pulsotypes between dog-owning and non-dog-owning households; but, a marked variation was still observed in the pulsotypes circulating in each type of household. Additionally, simultaneous carriage of the same SA pulsotype in owner(s) and dog was observed in 57% of households with positive humans and pets. These results demonstrate that dogs can indeed participate in the circulation of SA/MRSA pulsotypes within a home and that the presence of a pet does not seem to favour certain strains within their household.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine,College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH,USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: VAN Balen
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH,USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Landers
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Public Health Program,College of Public Health, The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH,USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nutt
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH,USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dent
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine,College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University,Columbus,OH,USA.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hoet
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002353:Carrier State / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D005191:Family Characteristics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing; D010067:Ownership; D057805:Pets; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: 
                 Staphylococcus aureus
              ; Biodiversity; household; molecular epidemiology; pet-ownership