Superbug spreads to animals (two articles)

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...682321,00.html
Superbug spreads to animals

London - The antibiotic-resistant superbug MSRA, which has killed hundreds of people in Britain, is now spreading among pets and farm animals, the head of a veterinary group warned on Tuesday.

"There have been cases of MRSA in the veterinary population and these are of great concern to veterinary surgeons here and abroad," said Bob Partridge, president of the British Veterinary Hospitals Association.

"The main concern is trying to ensure we have as few cases as possible by encouraging veterinary surgeons to adopt best practice in operating procedures," he said.

MRSA, short for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, has emerged as a grave problem for British hospitals.

It is responsible for up to 60% of all hospital infections by the S aureus microbe, usually entering through wounds, catheters and tubing. S aureus infections cause abscesses and boils, and can lead to pneumonia or fatal blood poisoning.

Steps have already been taken to prevent it spreading in veterinary hospitals and smaller centres but Partridge, who has a practice in Harrogate, Yorkshire, northern England, expressed worry about the growing threat.

"The problem will be that there will be an increasing number of cases as the bug becomes more common," he said.

At the same time, Partridge noted that the present level of animal infection was relatively low, with just 10 to 20 cases reported in Britain annually for the past two to three years.

Campaign to stop spreading of disease

Bella, a 10-year-old white Samoyed, became the first dog in the country known to have died of MRSA last year and her owner, Jill Moss, has launched a campaign to stop other pets from contracting the disease.

"If I had known about MRSA in animals or understood the risks, Bella could have been saved not just from death, but from inhumane suffering," she said.

"We have found this problem is widespread throughout the world, and we are determined to inform and warn pet owners and vets, and be a supportive, but persistent, voice calling for better infection prevention."

No one knows how the virus moves through the pet population, nor how this might affect humans - two areas that desperately need more research, said Moss.

"In the meantime, it is absolutely crucial vets take this risk seriously. What happened to Bella shouldn't happen to a dog," she added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4389855.stm

Vets warned over MRSA in animals

The bug is blamed for around 1,000 deaths each year
Vets should take hospital-style precautions to avoid passing the MRSA "superbug" to animals, the British Veterinary Association has warned.
The BVA says vets should use sterile gloves, scrub suits and masks during operations to protect the animals.

Between 10 and 20 animals are found to carry the bug each year, but the BVA says that number is set to increase.

BVA president Bob Partridge, based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, says he has "great concern" over MRSA among vets.

"The main concern is trying to ensure we have as few cases as possible by encouraging veterinary surgeons to adopt best practice in operating procedures," he said.

'Increasing number'

He says there is a "wide awareness" in the industry of the problems MRSA can cause and the steps needed to prevent infections.

"These steps are being taken already in veterinary hospitals and a large number of practices.

"The problem will be that there will be an increasing number of cases as the bug becomes more common."

To illustrate his point, Mr Partridge highlighted the case of Bella, a 10-year-old white Samoyed, which became the UK's first recorded MRSA dog death last year.

'Supportive voice'

The dog's owner, Jill Moss, of Edgware, Middlesex, is campaigning to stop other pets contracting the bug.

"We are determined to inform and warn pet owners and vets and be a supportive, but persistent, voice calling for better infection prevention to avoid it happening again," she said.

"Unless important changes take place in the way veterinary practices perform surgery and take better care of post-operative infections, the levels of MRSA in animals will rise."

MRSA infections can be fatal in human babies, the elderly and those with a weakened immune system, with the bug being blamed for around 1,000 deaths each year.

Many people carry MRSA with no adverse effects, but it can become a killer when transmitted in hospitals.