Livestock veterinarians at high risk of acquiring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ST398

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 140; no. 3; pp. 383 - 389
• Main Authors: GARCIA-GRAELLS, C., ANTOINE, J., LARSEN, J., CATRY, B., SKOV, R., DENIS, O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-03-2012
• Subjects: Animal hospitals; Animals; Antimicrobials; Bacteriology; Belgium; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier State - epidemiology; Carrier State - microbiology; Cloning; Denmark; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotype; Infections; Livestock; Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - classification; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Typing; MRSA; Occupational Exposure; Predisposing factors; Prevalence; Questionnaires; REVIEW ARTICLE; Risk Assessment; Risk factors; Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus infections; Swine; Veterinarians; Veterinary medicine; Belgium; Denmark; United States > US; Europe; pig veterinarians; risk factors; livestock-associated MRSA; Exposure to live pigs; Farming animal; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Micrococcaceae; Livestock; Epidemiology; Staphylococcus aureus
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268811002263

The prevalence and risk factors associated with livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) carriage was examined in Danish and Belgian veterinarians. The MRSA and LA-MRSA carriage rates were 9·5% (95% CI 5·3–15·6) and 7·5% (95% CI 3·8–13·1) for MRSA and LA-MRSA, respectively, in Belgium and 1·4% (95% CI: 0·17–5·05) in Denmark (all Danish MRSA isolates belonged to the LA-MRSA genotype). All LA-MRSA isolates were resistant to tetracycline and 53·4% (7/13) showed a multi-resistant phenotype. LA-MRSA was significantly associated with veterinarians in contact with livestock (P=0·046). In the multivariable analysis, working with small animals in a veterinary clinic seems to be negatively associated (OR 0·15, 95% CI 0–1·0, P=0·05) and a strong direct association was found for LA-MRSA acquisition and exposure to live pigs (OR 12·1, 95% CI 1·6–548·5, P=0·01). Since carriage of MRSA ST398 may increase the risk of complications during hospitalization, our results underline that preventive measures may need to be developed for veterinary professionals, particularly for livestock veterinarians.