It’s clear that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a problem in dogs, both in terms of dog health and in terms of dogs as a potential sources of infection for people. It is thought that MRSA in pets is often (if not usually) acquired from people. Until recently, it has been unclear what makes
Healthmap
If you are looking for an interesting website to play around with, you should try HealthMap. This is a website created by the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology that maps infectious disease reports from various sources. You can search by region and see what disease problems have been reported recently, or select
Treatment of MRSA and MRSP: more than meets the eye
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) are important causes of infection in pets, and are resistant to many different antibiotics. It’s therefore very important that these bacteria are cultured and tested in a lab to determine what antibiotics may be effective. Even then, choosing an effective medication can be difficult due to
How did dogs get MRSA?
A common question from owners of pets infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is "Where did it come from?" The answer is not completely clear, but evidence strongly suggests it probably came from humans. The MRSA strains found in pets are almost always teh same as those found in people (including people that
Hot spots
This time of year, hot spots (aka superficial pyoderma, moist pyoderma, pyotraumatic dermatitis) are a common problem in dogs. Hot spots are more common in males, and most often occur on the cheek (pictured), neck or outside of the thigh. Normal skin is covered with various bacteria but infections don’t develop because healthy, intact skin
Is it a spider bite or MRSA?
Skin reactions from spider bites are usually very mild, if they are even noticed. However, bites from certain kinds of spiders can cause severe skin lesions that may develop into deep open wounds. These are sometimes called "volcano lesions". Deaths due to such bites have been reported, mainly in children. However, the relatively small brown
EU Antibiotic Awareness Day
The European Union has announced that November 18 will be the EU’s Antibiotic Awareness Day.
Antibiotics are incredibly important drugs and save countless lives (human and animal) on a daily basis. Resistance to antibiotics is a major threat to human and veterinary medicine. While antibiotic resistance is a complex issue, overuse and improper use
Methicillin-resistant staph: what’s in a name?
There is a lot of concern and confusion about methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections in pets. "Staphylococcus" is genus of bacteria which contains numerous different species. All these species can come in ‘methicillin-resistant’ forms that are resistant to many antibiotics, but some of these species are of greater concern than others. The main species of
I’ve been diagnosed with MRSA….could my pet be the source?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug resistant bacterium that is often referred to as a ‘superbug’. It is an important cause of disease in people, both in hospitals and in the general population. It can also infect various animal species, including dogs and cats. A small percentage of healthy people and animals (1-3%) carry
Horses and MRSA
Many people in the horse world have heard the hype about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in horses. MRSA can cause infection in horses, just like it can in people, dogs, cats and many other animals. It’s usually what we call an “opportunistic” pathogen, meaning it usually takes advantage of a person or an animal that