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Strain of MRSA associated with animal husbandry prevalent among veterinarians
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A specific type of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — CC398 — is especially prevalent among veterinarians, and the infection seems to persist for prolonged periods, according to study findings.
Erwin Verkade,PhD, of the laboratory for microbiology and infection control at Amphia Hospital in the Netherlands, and colleagues reported on data from a study of 137 livestock veterinarians conducted between 2008 and 2010.
Verkade and colleagues swabbed the oropharynx and anterior nares of the veterinarians for the presence of “S. aureus every 4 months during the first year and again 1 year later,” and then genotyped the samples. “The mean prevalence of MRSA CC398 carriage was 44%, and for S. aureus, the prevalence was 72%,” the researchers wrote.
Nearly 25% of the study participants always carried this particular MRSA strain, the researchers reported, urging further research into what predisposing factors may contribute to persistent colonization with this strain.
This new MRSA clade associated with animal husbandry emerged in the Netherlands in 2003. By 2008, 42% of all newly identified MRSA strains in humans belonged to this clade, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: Verkade reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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