Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Pets and people can pass MRSA to each other, according to the March 13 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.
In a letter to the journal, German researchers tell the story of an otherwise healthy woman who may have caught methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from one of her three cats.
The cat tested positive for MRSA, report Andreas Sing, MD, and colleagues at the Bavarian Food and Health Safety Authority.
Sing's team isn't certain if the woman caught MRSA from her cat or vice versa. But the MRSA strain in question is 'extremely rare' in humans, and the woman's MRSA didn't clear up until the cat was treated with antibiotics, write Sing and colleagues. [What does MRSA look like? See pictures of MRSA in WebMD's slide show.] MRSA in Pets: Warning Signs?
MRSA isn't always obvious in pets. The German family's cat didn't show any signs of skin infection, Sing tells WebMD via e-mail.
People can get MRSA by touching their pets or by being licked by their pets, though transmission through licking is 'less likely' than through skin contact, Sing notes, adding that hand washing is the best way to avoid transmission of MRSA and most other bacteria.
'However, Staphylococcus aureus can also survive quite long in dry environments like dust, so this is also an option for transmission,' Sing says.
Previous Reports
This isn't the first report of pets and people exchanging MRSA.
In 2006 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Emerging Infectious Diseases reported that a San Francisco cat with skin ulcers tested positive for MRSA. The cat's owner, who had had skin infections three months earlier, may have spread MRSA to the cat. But that's not certain because the cat's owner didn't get a MRSA test.
And in 2004 researchers reported that a Dutch family tested positive for MRSA, which was traced to their pet dog. How did the dog get MRSA? Possibly from the family's mom, a nurse who had caught MRSA during an outbreak three years earlier, according to the report, also published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
[This report reprinted with permission of WebMd Medical News | March 12, 2008 | By Miranda Hitti | Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD]
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
Why activist Raif Derrazi thinks his HIV diagnosis is a gift
September 17 2024 12:00 PM
How fitness coach Tyriek Taylor reclaims his power from HIV with self-commitment
September 19 2024 12:00 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
The freedom of disclosure: David Anzuelo's journey through HIV, art, and advocacy
August 02 2024 12:21 PM
Out100 Honoree Tony Valenzuela thanks queer and trans communities for support in his HIV journey
September 18 2024 12:00 PM
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM
Creator and host Karl Schmid fights HIV stigma with knowledge
September 12 2024 12:03 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Climate change is disrupting access to HIV treatment
November 25 2024 11:05 AM
California confirms first case of even more deadly mpox strain
November 18 2024 3:02 PM
Post-election blues? Some advice from mental health experts
November 08 2024 12:36 PM
Check out our 2024 year-end issue!
October 28 2024 2:08 PM
Meet our Health Hero of the Year, Armonté Butler
October 21 2024 12:53 PM
AIDS/LifeCycle is ending after more than 30 years
October 17 2024 12:40 PM
Twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir, an HIV-prevention drug, reduces risk by 96%
October 15 2024 5:03 PM
Kentucky bans conversion therapy for youth as Gov. Andy Beshear signs 'monumental' order
September 18 2024 11:13 AM
Study finds use of puberty blockers safe and reversible, countering anti-trans accusations
September 11 2024 1:11 PM
Latinx health tips / Consejos de salud para latinos (in English & en espanol)
September 10 2024 4:29 PM
The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest (exclusive)
September 03 2024 9:30 AM
Introducing 'Health PLUS Wellness': The Latinx Issue!
August 30 2024 3:06 PM
La ciencia detrás de U=U ha estado liberando a las personas con VIH durante años
August 23 2024 2:48 PM
Tratamiento y prevención del VIH por inyección: Todo lo que necesita saber
August 23 2024 2:41 PM
Sr. Gay World quiere asegurarse de que estés bien
August 23 2024 2:30 PM
Eureka is taking a break from competing on 'Drag Race' following 'CVTW' elimination
August 20 2024 12:21 PM
With a new case in Sweden, what is the new mpox outbreak and should you be concerned?
August 15 2024 4:48 PM
From ‘The Real World’ to real life: How Danny Roberts thrives with HIV
July 31 2024 5:23 PM