Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureusin people living and working in pig farms

Abstract

SUMMARYWe compared the prevalence of human and animal methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at pig farms in The Netherlands, and related this to individual and farm-level characteristics. More than half of the farms investigated (28/50) had MRSA in pigs or stable dust and about one third (15/50) of person(s) were identified as MRSA carriers. Human carriage was found only on farms with MRSA-positive pigs or dust. MRSA strains in human samples were the same spa-type as found in pigs and all were not typable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (NT-MRSA). Multivariate analyses showed that risk factors for human MRSA carriage were: working in pig stables (OR 40,) and the presence of sows and finishing pigs (OR 9, 95 % CI 3-30). Veterinary sample collectors sampling the pigs showed transient MRSA carriage only during the day of the farm visit. Working in pig stables with MRSA-positive pigs poses a high risk for acquiring MRSA, increasingly so when contact with live pigs is more intensive or long lasting.

Prevalence of livestock-associated MRSA in broiler flocks and risk factors for slaughterhouse personnel in The Netherlands

“…Previous studies on MRSA prevalence on pig farms [10] and veal farms [11] showed high prevalences in humans. The hospital guidelines were subsequently modified : upon admission to a hospital, patients having regular contact with veal calves or pigs must be screened for MRSA and be confined to quarantine until carriage has been excluded.…”

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): A Review

“…Again, contamination of animal housing revealed the possibility of human and animal colonization. Van Den Broek et al (2008) isolated MRSA from pig house dust and humans working in MRSA positive pig farms.…”

Outbreak of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398 in a Dutch Nursing Home

“…2,3 People who are in direct contact with pigs and veal calves have a high carriage rate of this MRSA (23% and 29%, respectively). 2,4 Using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), the vast majority of these strains belong to sequence type 398 (ST398). Transmission within families, as well as single cases of colonized healthcare workers, have been described.…”