Is the Colonisation of Staphylococcus aureus in Pets Associated with Their Close Contact with Owners?

Abstract

In human beings and animals, staphylococci constitute part of the normal microbial population. Staphylococcus aureus could be classified as an opportunistic pathogen because the bacteria are noted in clinically healthy individuals, but when the immune system becomes compromised, they can also cause a wide range of infections. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that cats who are in close contact with their owners are at the greatest risk of being colonised with S. aureus. Two groups of cats were investigated: single, pet (domestic) cats that do not have outdoor access; and a local population of feral cats living in urban areas. The prevalence of S. aureus in domestic cats was 19.17%, while it’s prevalence in the feral cat population was only 8.3%; which was statistically significant. Analysis of antibiotic resistance, at the genotypic as well as phenotypic level, showed that S. aureus isolates from pet cats were more likely to harbour antibiotic resistant determinants. The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in households was 10.21%, while in feral cats it was only 1.4%. In conclusion, this study has revealed a correlation between close contact with humans and a higher risk of the cats being colonised with S. aureus and harbouring the antibiotic resistant determinants.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among animals: current overview

“…On the other way round, several studies showed that MRSA in pets are mostly of human origin [28] and there is a correlation between close contact with humans and increased risk of colonization of pets with S. aureus [29]. This is also consistent with the fact that S. aureus is not a common colonizer of cats and dogs, in contrast to S. pseudintermedius.…”

Molecular characterization of community‐associated methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus from pet dogs

“…The prevalence of S. aureus carriage reported in dogs and cats varies considerably between study populations and methodologies (Abraham, Morris, Griffeth, Shofer, & Rankin, ; Boost et al, ; Fazakerley et al, ; Griffeth, Morris, Abraham, Shofer, & Rankin, ). The degree of human contact has been shown to influence the prevalence of S. aureus carriage in cats and dogs, with prevalence of carriage much lower in stray and wild populations than in pets (Bierowiec, Ploneczka‐Janeczko, & Rypula, ; Boost et al, ). Information was not collected in this study about interactions between pets and their owners.…”

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in retail food in Singapore

“…In particular, ST6 SCC mec type IV (t304) pvl- negative MRSA, a strain susceptible to non-beta-lactams, was previously isolated from patients overseas, suggesting that the ST6 strain isolated in our study may be capable of causing human infection [ 23 ]. In addition, CC6-ST6-t304 strains have previously been isolated from human (MSSA and MRSA), feral cat (MRSA) and camel (MSSA) suggesting that the strain may be transmissible across different host species [ 19 , 24 – 26 ].…”