Studies on possible cross transmission of mercuric chloride resistant Staphylococcus aureus between dogs and kennel attendants.

Ten S. aureus strains were each introduced into the nostrils of each of 10 dogs. The dogs retained the strains of S. aureus for the period of the experiment (eight weeks). Five of them with human strains of s. aureus, and the two control dogs acquired strains of canine origin during the period, but no human strain was detected in the nostrils of those into which canine strains were introduced. One of the dogs (dog 4) died during the period of the experiment and both human and canine S. aureus were isolated from its nostrils after the animal had been frozen for about 18 hours. One attendant acquired both canine and human S. aureus during the course of the experiment while one attendant working in the veterinary clinic but had no direct contact with the experimental dogs acquired human S. aureus during the third week of the experiment. It was concluded that contaminated environment jointly being shared by man and animals is the common source of cross contamination by the various biotypes of S. aureus.