Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in a veterinary teaching hospital: potential human-to-animal transmission.
Abstract: During a 13-month period, 11 equine patients visiting a veterinary teaching hospital for various diagnostic and surgical procedures developed postprocedural infections from which methicillin (oxacillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated. The S. aureus isolates were identified by conventional methods that included Gram staining, tests for colonial morphology, tests for clumping factor, and tests for coagulase and urease activities and were also tested with the API STAPH IDENT system. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by the disk diffusion method. The biochemical profile and antibiogram of each isolate suggested that the isolates may have come from a common source. Because MRSA strains are very uncommon animal isolates but are rather common human isolates, a nasal swab specimen for culture was collected voluntarily from five persons associated with equine surgery and recovery in an attempt to identify a possible source of the organisms. MRSA strains were isolated from three of the five people, with one person found to be colonized with two biotypes of MRSA. The MRSA isolates from the people appeared to be identical to the isolates from horses. Further study of the isolates included SmaI and EagI macrorestriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis conducted in two different laboratories. The results indicated that both the equine and human isolates were members of a very closely related group which appear to have originated from a common source. On the basis of the pattern associated with the infection, it is speculated that the members of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital staff were the primary source of the infection, although the specific mode of transmission is unclear.
Publication Date: 1999-04-16 PubMed ID: 10203505PubMed Central: PMC84801DOI: 10.1128/JCM.37.5.1459-1463.1999Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article discusses an outbreak of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a veterinary teaching hospital, potentially spread from humans to animals. It inspects the MRSA strains found and indicates veterinary staff as possible source of the infection after comparing it with MRSA strains from humans and equines tested.
Research Methodology and Findings
- The researchers studied an outbreak of MRSA within a 13-month period, where 11 horses developed infections after various procedures.
- Through various tests such as Gram staining, tests for colonial morphology, clumping factor, coagulase and urease activities and using the API STAPH IDENT system, they identified the S. aureus isolates.
- The biochemical profile and antibiogram of each isolate suggested a common source which, considering that MRSA is less common in animals but prevalent in humans, led researchers to suspect a potential human-to-animal transmission.
Nasal Swabs from Veterinary Staff
- To identify potential carriers, nasal swabs were taken from five people involved with equine surgery and recovery. Out of them, MRSA strains were isolated from three individuals. One person was found to be colonized with two different MRSA strains.
- The MRSA strains from these people appeared identical to the ones found in the horses, strengthening the hypothesis of human-to-animal transmission.
- However, the specific mode of transmission was not clear, and the conclusion is based on the infection pattern observed.
Further Analysis of the Isolates
- The article also mentions further studies conducted on the isolates. SmaI and EagI macrorestriction analysis by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were performed in two different labs to provide more accuracy and validity to the results.
- The results from these tests showed that both the human and equine MRSA isolates were members of a closely related group, originating from the same source.
Cite This Article
APA
Seguin JC, Walker RD, Caron JP, Kloos WE, George CG, Hollis RJ, Jones RN, Pfaller MA.
(1999).
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in a veterinary teaching hospital: potential human-to-animal transmission.
J Clin Microbiol, 37(5), 1459-1463.
https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.37.5.1459-1463.1999 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cross Infection / transmission
- Disease Outbreaks
- Horses / microbiology
- Hospitals, Animal
- Hospitals, Teaching
- Humans
- Methicillin Resistance
- Staphylococcal Infections / transmission
- Staphylococcus aureus / drug effects
- Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification
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