MRSA risk from cats and dogs

Pet cats and dogs may increasingly become carriers of the life-threatening bacterium otherwise know as the hospital "superbug", says a report in leading medical publication The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Cat and dog bites account for almost 1% of visits to Accident and Emergency Departments.

Boys aged 5 to 9 are most at risk of bite injuries as they don't understand provocative animal behaviour. Their small size also makes them more vulnerable to bites on the face, neck and head compared with adults who are most often bitten on the hand. Women and the elderly suffer most from cat bites.

According to the report, a bite wound can be infected by at least 30 different types of bacteria from the animal's mouth, as well as those from the person's own skin.

Almost 20 percent of cat and dog bites result in severe infection by bacteria such as Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium and Capnocytophaga. Severe complications such as sepsis can also occur.

However, in recent years evidence has accumulated which shows that cats and dogs can also carry MRSA and, more worringly, transmit it to humans.

The scientists from the University of South Florida College of Medicine commented:

"MRSA colonisation has been documented in companion animals such as horses, dogs and cats, and these animals have been viewed as potential reservoirs of infection"

Although the life-threatening bacterium does not naturally occur in cats and dogs, they can catch it from humans and then become carriers. MRSA may then be passed back to a human, including the pet's owner.

The researchers also said:

"Pet owners are often unaware of the potential for transmission of life-threatening pathogens from their canine and feline companions. Bite injuries are a major cause of injury in the USA and Europe each year, particularly in children. Bites to the hands, forearms, neck, and head have the potential for the highest morbidity."

This article was published on Mon 22 June 2009