A review of the characteristics and treatment of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the horse and a case series of MRSA infection in four horses |
| |
| Authors: | T W Maddox C E Scantlebury P D Clegg S Dawson G L Pinchbeck N J Williams |
| |
| Institution: | 1. National Centre for Zoonosis Research;2. Epidemiology Research Group, Department of Animal and Population Health;3. and;4. Musculoskeletal and Locomotion Research Group, School of Veterinary Sciences, Leahurst Campus, University of Liverpool CH64 7TE, UK. |
| |
| Abstract: | Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging cause of serious bacterial infection in the horse, with an increasing number of cases reported over the last decade. MRSA, along with other commensal staphylococcal species, can reside on the mucosa of several sites in the horse, particularly the nose. Nasal carriage of MRSA appears rare amongst horses in the community, although a higher prevalence has been found in hospitalised horses. MRSA infections can involve a variety of body sites, but most commonly encountered are soft tissue infections of either traumatic or surgical wounds. MRSA strain types isolated from horses are typically multidrug‐resistant and usually differ from those recovered from humans and other small animal species. Treatment of infection can be prolonged and is dependent on timely, accurate diagnosis and on appropriate therapy; often guided by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The purpose of this review is to provide clinically relevant information for the equine practitioner and, for illustration, the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of 4 clinical cases of MRSA infection in horses is discussed. |
| |
| Keywords: | horse MRSA infection treatment prevalence |
|
|
