Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterinary Doctors and Students, the Netherlands

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Netherlands, at 1.0%, is among the lowest in Europe. In 2004, a relationship between pig farming and a high risk for MRSA carriage was found. To investigate if those in professional contact with livestock are at higher risk for MRSA carriage, we screened 80 veterinary students and 99 veterinarians and questioned them about animal contacts and known MRSA risk factors. Of these, 27 students who did not have livestock contact were excluded from further analysis. We found 7 carriers of MRSA, a prevalence of 4.6%, which is... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Mireille Wulf
Arie van Nes
Andrea Eikelenboom-Boskamp
Janneke de Vries
Willem Melchers
Corné H. Klaassen
Andreas Voss
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2006
Reihe/Periodikum: Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol 12, Iss 12, Pp 1939-1941 (2006)
Verlag/Hrsg.: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Schlagwörter: Staphylococcus aureus / methicillin resistance / veterinarian / domestic animals / carriers / research / Medicine / R / Infectious and parasitic diseases / RC109-216
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29169067
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1212.060355

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Netherlands, at 1.0%, is among the lowest in Europe. In 2004, a relationship between pig farming and a high risk for MRSA carriage was found. To investigate if those in professional contact with livestock are at higher risk for MRSA carriage, we screened 80 veterinary students and 99 veterinarians and questioned them about animal contacts and known MRSA risk factors. Of these, 27 students who did not have livestock contact were excluded from further analysis. We found 7 carriers of MRSA, a prevalence of 4.6%, which is similar to that found in patients who had previously been treated at foreign hospitals. A correlation of MRSA carriage with a specific animal group could not be established. To preserve the low prevalence of MRSA in the Netherlands, persons involved in the care of livestock should be isolated and screened on admission to the hospital.