Methicillin-resistenta Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) har blivit en allt vanligare patogen inom sjukvården och i samhället. MRSA orsakar infektioner som inte kan behandlas med ?-laktamantibiotika. För att förhindra spridning genomgår patienter och sjukvårdspersonal screening-tester. I dessa screening-tester ingår PCR-analys av MecA, nuc och/eller Sa442.

The increased frequency of reported Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is of great concern to small animal healthcare due to limited options of antimicrobial therapy. The aim of this literature study is to investigate 1) characteristics and classification of S. pseudintermedius, 2) resistance mechanisms and emergence of MRSP, 3) risk factors for selection of MRSP, and 4) clonal distribution around the world. S. pseudintermedius is a skin and mucosal commensal in healthy dogs and cats, but can cause infections, including pyoderma. Beta-lactam antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to the penicillin binding protein (PBP), a vital enzyme in the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall.

Staphylococcus aureus belongs to the normal flora. Many healthy people are colonized by the bacterium mainly in the nose but also on the skin and on other mucous membranes without showing symptoms. After damage to the skin, the bacterium can enter the wound and cause infections. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is resistant to b-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin.

During the last years, meticillin resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) have caused an increasing number of infections in Swedish dogs. MRSP is resistant against a majority of the antimicrobials available for dogs in Sweden, making it difficult to treat the infection. Our knowledge of the bacterium is limited, making it hard to handle infected dogs in a proper way. The aim of this study was to investigate for how long time dogs, who have an infection caused by MRSP, become carriers of the bacterium. Other factors like treatment with antimicrobials, the correlation between clinical symptoms and carriage, common diagnoses and institutionalization where also looked upon.

Meticillinresistenta Staphylococcus aureus är ett växande problem inom hästmedicinen och orsakar svårbehandlade infektioner världen över. Resistensen utvecklas genom att stafylokocker erhåller en gen, MecA, som ändrar ?-laktamantibiotikas målstruktur. Idag är MRSA-utbrott vanligt i många länder, men hittills har vi i Sverige inte konstaterat mer än 20 fall på häst. Risken för att fler fall kommer att upptäckas i framtiden är dock stor på grund av import av hästar och smittspridning via människor. Ett oerhört viktigt moment vid misstanke om MRSA-infektion är var man ska provta och hur man bör odla, typa och namnge de olika isolaten.

Objective: To determine the frequency of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from healthy Swedish dogs and whether they are carriers of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Material: Samples from skin from the perineal region and from faeces collected in the anus with cottonswab (Copan) from 299 healthy Swedish dogs. Samples were collected at dog exhibitions. Method: Specimens were submitted for bacterial culture where bacteria (Escherichia coli, enterococci and staphylococci) were isolated and identified by current methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed with a microdilution method where MIC-values were determined. Staphylococci with high degree of resistance were tested for presence of MecA-gene by PCR.