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MRSA INFECTION IN PETS
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In August 2004, Bella Louise
Moss, a ten-year-old Samoyed and companion to Jill Moss, became the first
UK companion animal to die as a result of MRSA. From the loss and trauma
of Bella’s passing Jill started a website and charity, The Bella Moss Foundation,
to inform pet owners on the risks of MRSA in pets and support them in the
steps they could take to minimise the dangers. This leaflet offers some
of that information and support.
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), sometimes
referred to in the media as the SUPERBUG, kills around 5,000 human patients
a year. It affects both humans and animals. MRSA is a bacterium that,
under normal conditions, is relatively harmless. We all live with
different kinds of bacteria (Staphylococcus included) in us and on us
without harmful effects, but problems can occur when they get into the
blood stream or tissue through a cut or broken skin, particularly if our
immune system is weakened. MRSA can be so difficult to treat that
in some cases it is fatal.
It has been thought for many years that the extensive (and often unnecessary)
use of antibiotics has led to the development of resistant strains of bacteria.
Not just in humans, though. Animals of all sorts have been given antibiotics
to increase their weight, and some apple farmers in the US spray antibiotics
routinely on their fruit trees. All of this goes towards helping bacteria
develop resistance to the very things that we need to use to treat serious
infections.
MRSA is everywhere, and just as hospitals spread the bug to people,
veterinary clinics and surgeries can also serve as a source of contamination
of pets and staff.
For pets as well as people, MRSA infection can be life threatening.
How is MRSA Contracted?
MRSA is spread by direct contact or by air currents or by sneezes
or coughs, and can be conveyed by people going from one environment to
another. Research shows that it moves from the environment to people,
from person to person, person to animal, or animal to person or environment.
Pets can become carriers through the close physical contact they have
with owners and vice verse, or from veterinary staff who fail to wash properly
after handling a carrier animal. Surgical sites can become infected by bacteria
falling from the skin into the wound, or from contaminated hands or instruments
or by droplets from an uncovered mouth or nose.
The evidence indicates that pets are most likely to become infected
during surgery.
What are the things I should look for?
Infections can be diagnosed from:
DISCHARGE OR INFLAMMATION FROM A SURGICAL WOUND. A WOUND THAT
IS NOT HEALING AND RESPONDING TO REGULAR TREATMENT; RAISED TEMPERATURE;
RAISED WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT; INFLAMMATION: REPEATED SKIN INFECTIONS;
LOSS OF APPETITE AND EXTREME LETHARGY; DEPPRESSED DEMEANOR IN A PET.
What Questions Should I ask If My Pet Has To Undergo Surgery?
Ask what antibiotic cover your pet is likely to need prior to any
surgery, and what bacteria these antibiotics will kill. Ask what steps
they take to minimise the possibility of an infection getting into the
surgical wound (such as cleaning the area with iodine and surgical alcohol).
Ask whether your vet will be fully gowned and masked and whether another
vet will be in charge of anaesthesia. Ask how much your pet will be monitored
after the operation, whether the wound will be dressed or not and whether
your pet will be in an area with other animals. Ask what signs will tell
the vet that an infection is present in the operation wound and what action
will be taken if one should occur. Ask if they are aware of any facility
that is more expert or familiar with the operation your pet has to undergo,
and ask what the policy on referring to specialist centres is. Ask what the
normal recover period is and what signs might indicate a post-operative infection.
What Can I Do To Ensure My Pet Is Safe For The Future?
Talk to your vet about your concerns, especially if your pet is to
undergo surgery. Avoid your pet spending any time longer than necessary
in a veterinary hospital (this may be a more likely cause of colonisation),
and don’t allow your pet to be exposed to known carriers of MRSA. Ask if
your vet is aware of the guidelines issued by the BSAVA and whether the
practice adheres to them. Also, ask whether their premises comply with the
BSAVA guidelines and how has that compliance been validated.
What Should I Do If I Think My Pet May Have An Infection?
Don’t wait! If your pet has had an operation but is not recovering
as expected, TELL YOUR VET. Ask for a clear indication of what they think
might be the problem and how they will deal with it. Ask for swabs to
be taken for culture immediately, and don’t be fobbed off with any explanation
that doesn’t clearly explain what is going on. Ask your vet to be honest
about what he or she does and does not know, and don’t encourage them to
tell you what you want to hear.
These are just some of the things you can ask; many more may occur
to you. The important thing is BE INFORMED and don’t be afraid to let your
vet know that you are not ignorant. If he or she doesn’t like that, then
they are not worth staying with.
Are some animals more likely to become MRSA carriers than others?
There is no clear-cut answer to which species may be more vulnerable,
but current thinking is that dogs are probably less likely to become carriers
than other animals because their endemic strain of Staphylococcus is not
Staph. Aureus, but Staph. intermedius, and this seems to make it harder
for Staph. A. (and MRSA) to get established. Vulnerability may depend much
more on issues of health than on issues of species, and ill, old or very
young animals may be much more at risk than healthy mature animals.
What is the real risk and danger to my pet from MRSA?
MRSA is only a risk or danger to animals that are not healthy. This
includes those animals that have a long-term problem with their immune
system or that have to undergo surgical procedures. Otherwise, there
is generally no real risk and no need to panic! MRSA itself is only a danger
when it infects a vulnerable body. Being a carrier in itself is not significant
and should not be a cause for concern unless there are vulnerable people
in close, direct contact.
For more information email Jill info@thebellamossfoundation.com
and for the PETS-MRSA forum visit www.pets-mrsa.com
and www.thebellamossfoundation.com
or email jill@pets-mrsa.com. Jill
Moss, President of The Bella Moss Foundation, with Bella Telephone:07860
879079
reprinted with kind permission from Jill Moss President
and Founder
The Bella Moss Foundation Helping animals suffering with mrsa
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Lightning used to Zap Killer
Bugs
Many vets are
using lightning to kill off superbugs such as MRSA and Clostridium Difficile.
Practices across the UK are tuning in to the process that creates a thunderstorm
effect to produce ozone, which is 3200 times more powerful than chlorinr
bleach, to launder blankets and cloths used for cleaning treatment areas
such as tables and floors.
The process known as OTEX looks similar to a washing machine and is the
result of a10 year, £3 million development programme by JLA, a company
based in Yorkshire that is a main supplier of commercial laundry euipment.
The University of Bristol's school of veterinary science is already using
the system in the battle against superbugs. Head of the school's division
of companion animal studies, Ed Hall, said, "We use the system as part of
our own hygiene management to prevent the spread of MRSA and other infections
via laundry items. It is an invaluable infection control tool"
Vet Helen Torrington, who uses the system at her Bridgehouse practice in
West Yorkshire,says "I decided to commission a microbiological test
of my own just to be on the safe side. The results were just the same
as those obtained by JLA - there was no trace of bacteria. The microbiologist
even prolonged observation for an extra week to make absolutely sure the
laundered items were clear"
Source:Your Dog Magazine March 2008
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