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Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association2005; 226(4); 580-583; doi: 10.2460/javma.2005.226.580

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in horses and humans who work with horses.

Abstract: To evaluate the prevalence of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horses and horse personnel. Methods: Prospective prevalence study. Methods: 972 horses and 107 personnel from equine farms in Ontario, Canada and New York state. Methods: Nasal swab specimens were collected from horses and humans on farms with (targeted surveillance) and without (nontargeted surveillance) a history of MRSA colonization or infection in horses during the preceding year. Selective culture for MRSA was performed. Isolates were typed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and antibiograms were determined. Results: MRSA was isolated from 46 of 972 (4.7%) horses (0/581 via nontargeted surveillance and 46/391 [12%] via targeted surveillance). Similarly, MRSA was isolated from 14 of 107 (13%) humans (2/41 [5%] from nontargeted surveillance and 12/66 [18%] from targeted surveillance). All isolates were subtypes of Canadian epidemic MRSA-5, an uncommon strain in humans. All isolates were resistant to at least 1 antimicrobial class in addition to beta-lactams. On all farms with colonized horses, at least 1 human was colonized with an indistinguishable subtype. For horses, residing on a farm that housed > 20 horses was the only factor significantly associated with MRSA colonization. For humans, regular contact with > 20 horses was the only identified risk factor. Conclusions: Results confirm a reservoir of colonized horses on a variety of farms in Ontario and New York and provide evidence that 1 MRSA strain is predominantly involved in MRSA colonization in horses and humans that work with horses.
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Publication Date: 2005-03-04 PubMed ID: 15742700DOI: 10.2460/javma.2005.226.580Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study researched the prevalence of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horses and humans working with horses in Ontario, Canada, and New York state, USA. It found that there is a reservoir of MRSA colonization in these groups, with one specific strain predominantly involved.

Methodology

  • The study was a prospective prevalence study involving 972 horses and 107 human personnel from various equine farms in the defined regions.
  • Nasal swab specimens were collected from both horses and humans on farms with a history of MRSA colonization or infection (targeted surveillance) and those without (nontargeted surveillance).
  • Selective culture for MRSA was done on the collected samples. The strains were typed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and antibiograms were determined.

Results

  • MRSA was isolated from 46 out of 972 horses—with none from nontargeted surveillance and 12% from targeted surveillance—and from 14 out of 107 humans—with 5% from nontargeted surveillance and 18% from targeted surveillance.
  • All the isolates turned out to be subtypes of the Canadian epidemic MRSA-5, which is an uncommon strain in humans. Each one was resistant to at least one class of antibiotics, apart from beta-lactams.
  • On all farms with MRSA colonized horses, at least one human was found to be colonized by a subtype that couldn’t be distinguished from those found in the horses.

Key Risk Factors

  • For horses, residing on a farm that housed more than 20 horses was the only factor significantly correlated with MRSA colonization.
  • For humans, the only identified risk factor was regular contact with more than 20 horses.

Conclusion

  • The findings confirm the existence of a reservoir of MRSA colonized horses across various farms in Ontario and New York. This provides evidence that a single strain of MRSA is predominantly involved in the colonization of both horses and the humans that work with them.

Cite This Article

APA
Weese JS, Rousseau J, Traub-Dargatz JL, Willey BM, McGeer AJ, Low DE. (2005). Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in horses and humans who work with horses. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 226(4), 580-583. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2005.226.580

Publication

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
ISSN: 0003-1488
NlmUniqueID: 7503067
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 226
Issue: 4
Pages: 580-583

Researcher Affiliations

Weese, J Scott
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
Rousseau, Joyce
    Traub-Dargatz, Josie L
      Willey, Barbara M
        McGeer, Alison J
          Low, Donald E

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
            • Bacterial Typing Techniques
            • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
            • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
            • Horse Diseases / microbiology
            • Horse Diseases / transmission
            • Horses
            • Humans
            • Methicillin Resistance
            • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
            • Nasopharynx / microbiology
            • Risk Factors
            • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology
            • Staphylococcal Infections / transmission
            • Staphylococcal Infections / veterinary
            • Staphylococcus aureus / classification
            • Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
            • Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
            • Zoonoses

            Citations

            This article has been cited 37 times.
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