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Your Pet Could Be a Carrier of MRSA

Staph infections have always been a concern in hospitals, particularly MRSA which is resistant to many antibiotic treatments. MRSA has also been showing up outside of the health care network, even in patients that have not recently been in a medical facility. There is one surprising source of MRSA that has health officials worried - your pets.

In the UK, several pets have tested positive for MRSA. With 5,000 deaths a year related to MRSA in the country, this presents concerns that it may be harder to control the spread of the bacteria. However, having a pet test positive is not necessarily a cause for concern. Approximately one in three people carry the MRSA bacteria themselves, without having an infection or other problems.

MRSA only becomes a threat when it becomes an active infection. Because it is resistant to many of the traditional antibiotic treatments, an active infection can be difficult to cure and can spread to other organs in the body. In infants, the elderly, and patients that already have a weak immune system, the disease can even progress so far as to be fatal.

During the study, cats, dogs, and rabbits were found to be infected with the MRSA infection after observations and laboratory tests. The animals came from around the country, so the scientists know that it is not an isolate case. However, they have no way of telling how many pets are carriers of MRSA and the risks. It is still uncertain whether the pets caught MRSA from their human companions or the other way around. A closer look at the strains of MRSA on the animals found that some were similar to the strains that were found in humans, and others were not. Some animals, like horses, seem to have evolved their own strain of the MRSA bug. For the time being, however, there is no reason for pet owners to panic. Pet owners simply need to follow basic hygiene procedures and watch their pet carefully. If a pet is displaying any symptoms of MRSA, it should be taken to the vet immediately for care and treatment.

Your vet will check over any skin lesions and infections. They will then generally want to culture the bacteria by sending a sample off to the lab. This allows them to see what antibiotic treatments will be most effective against the MRSA infection.

When treating your pet's wounds, you will want to follow the same procedures you would use for a human patient. Make sure that wounds are cleaned regularly and covered with a dry bandage. Old dressings should be sealed into a plastic bag before being put into the trash. Wash and disinfect any area that your pet frequents, including bedding, feeding dishes, and toys. Make sure that your pet receives his or her antibiotics according to the vet's prescription and instructions.

After taking care of your pet, make sure that you follow good hygienic procedures yourself. Wear gloves when tending to wounds, and ash your hands thoroughly with antibiotic soap afterwards. Remove any soiled clothing and wash immediately.