Prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci in northern Colorado shelter animals

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) have been recognized as significant pathogens in veterinary medicine. There have been documented cases of MRSA infection and colonization in veterinary critical care units, in veterinary personnel, and in equine and feline patients. To date, there have been no studies examining the prevalence of MRSA or MRSP colonization of cats and dogs in animal shelters in the United States. The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA and MRSP in cats and dogs in a northern Colorado animal shelter. Samples were collected from 200 cats and 200 dogs in an open admission shelter. Each species was divided into 2 smaller groups: 100 dogs or cats housed in the stray ward and 100 dogs or cats housed in the adoption area. Samples were evaluated for the prevalence of MRSA or MRSP, which was verified through aerobic culture and Kirby–Bauer agar disc diffusion to confirm antimicrobial sensitivity. Results revealed MRSA in 0.5% of cat samples, MRSA in 0.5% of dog samples, and MRSP in 3% of dog samples. These results are consistent with previously published prevalence rates for these 2 organisms in non-shelter populations of dogs and cats, indicating that cats and dogs from this Colorado shelter do not appear to pose any greater risk to the public than do cats and dogs in the general pet population.

Methicillin‐sensitive and methicillin‐resistantStaphylococcus aureusstrains and their toxin genes in the nostrils of dogs and workers at an animal shelter

“…Gingrich et al . () also revealed similar results with cats. In our study, four dogs carried MRSA with the same MLVF type, gene profile and resistance profile, and these isolates might have been the same strain.…”

“…) and those on American shelter dogs (Gingrich et al . ) but considerably lower than the 47·4% in a stray dog study in Myanmar (Myaing et al . ) and higher than the 0% in the study of stray dogs in Jordan (Tarazi et al .…”

Carriage of methicillin-resistant staphylococci by healthy companion animals in the US

“…While a number of studies have examined antimicrobialresistant staphylococci from sick companion animals, there is a paucity of studies on the presence of resistant staphylococci in healthy companion animals (Bagcigil et al 2007;Bramble et al 2011;Gandolfi-Decristophoris et al 2013;Garbacz et al 2013;Gharsa et al 2013;Muniz et al 2013). Few of these studies have been performed on healthy companion animals from the United States (Sing et al 2008;Bemis et al 2009;Morris et al 2010;Gingrich et al 2011). The current study provides insight into a rarely examined niche occupied by staphylococci by reporting antimicrobial susceptibility, clonal diversity and molecular characteristics among antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci isolated from healthy dogs and cats.…”

“…; Gingrich et al . ). The current study provides insight into a rarely examined niche occupied by staphylococci by reporting antimicrobial susceptibility, clonal diversity and molecular characteristics among antimicrobial‐resistant staphylococci isolated from healthy dogs and cats.…”

An investigation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) in domestic and shelter dogs in Montenegro (RS-Brazil)

“…Similarly, a research executed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, involving healthy dogs showed that only 1.4% (1/70) of the animals was a methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius carrier, reinforcing the low frequency of MRSP in the country (QUITOCO et al, 2013). In other research, among 200 shelter dogs in the United States with nasal and perianal samples, only 3% of them were MRSP carriers (GINGRICH et al, 2011). Despite the restrictions on the phenotypic methods, due to the lower sensitivity when compared to genotypic tests, these become effective in the MRSP search.…”