Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2012 Jun;59(4):286-93. doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2011.01448.x. Epub 2012 Jan 10.
Colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may be persistent in people and is horizontally transmissible. The scientific literature suggests that domestic pets may also participate in cross-transmission of MRSA within households. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for MRSA carriage by pets residing in households with an MRSA-infected person. From 66 households in which an MRSA-infected patient resided, we screened 47 dogs and 52 cats using a swab protocol. Isolates from pets and humans were genotyped using two techniques and compared for concordance. Human participants completed a 22-question survey of demographic and epidemiologic data relevant to staphylococcal transmission. Eleven of 99 pets (11.5%) representing 9 (13.6%) of households were MRSA-positive, but in only six of these households were the human and animal-source strains genetically concordant. Human infection by strain USA 100 was significantly associated with pet carriage [OR = 11.4 (95% CI 1.7, 76.9); P = 0.013]. Yet, for each day of delay in sampling the pet after the person's MRSA diagnosis, the odds of isolating any type of MRSA from the pet decreased by 13.9% [(95% CI 2.6, 23.8); P = 0.017)]. It may be concluded that pets can harbour pandemic strains of MRSA while residing in a household with an infected person. However, the source of MRSA to the pet cannot always be attributed to the human patient. Moreover, the rapid attrition of the odds of obtaining a positive culture from pets over time suggests that MRSA carriage may be fleeting.
耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌（MRSA）定植于人身上可能是持久的，并且可以水平传播。科学文献表明，家养宠物也可能参与家庭内 MRSA 的交叉传播。本研究的目的是评估与 MRSA 感染患者同住家庭中宠物携带 MRSA 的流行率和危险因素。从 66 个有 MRSA 感染患者的家庭中，我们使用拭子方案筛选了 47 只狗和 52 只猫。使用两种技术对宠物和人类的分离株进行基因分型，并比较其一致性。人类参与者完成了一份 22 个问题的调查，内容涉及与葡萄球菌传播相关的人口统计学和流行病学数据。在代表 9 个家庭（13.6%）的 99 只宠物中，有 11 只（11.5%）为 MRSA 阳性，但在这 6 个家庭中，人类和动物源菌株的基因是一致的。人类感染 USA100 株与宠物携带显著相关[比值比（OR）=11.4（95%可信区间 1.7，76.9）；P=0.013]。然而，与在人被诊断为 MRSA 后对宠物进行采样的天数相比，每延迟一天，从宠物中分离出任何类型的 MRSA 的几率就会降低 13.9%[（95%可信区间 2.6，23.8）；P=0.017]。可以得出结论，宠物可以携带流行株的 MRSA，同时居住在有感染人的家庭中。然而，宠物的 MRSA 来源并不总是归因于人类患者。此外，随着时间的推移，从宠物中获得阳性培养物的几率迅速减少，这表明 MRSA 携带可能是短暂的。
