The AVMA has published a backgrounder on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen connected with infections worldwide.
Staphylococcus aureus is transmitted in hospitals and communities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is one of the most common causes of human skin and soft tissue infections in the United States.
Healthy people are often colonized by S aureus bacteria in their skin and nasal passages, and immunocompromised people are more likely to develop infection. The backgrounder, which was developed in cooperation with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, warns that zoonotic transmission of MRSA “should be considered an occupational risk for veterinary professionals, especially those in large animal practices.”
Seemingly healthy animals are sometimes colonized with the bacteria, and there is evidence humans can both transmit it to animals and become colonized or infected from them. Infections have been reported in horses, dogs, cats, pet birds, cattle, and pigs, the backgrounder states.