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Mrsa Infection

An opportunistic bacterial infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that can affect various tissues in dogs and cats.

Key Facts

MRSA strains are resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins and cephalosporins.
It most commonly causes skin, post-operative incisional, and wound infections in pets.
Pets can acquire MRSA from humans and subsequently transmit it back to people or other animals.
Infection typically occurs when the host's immune defenses are weakened or compromised.

Colonization can progress to active infection if the host's immune defenses are compromised.

MRSA is a frequent causative agent of resistant skin and soft tissue infections.

Physical removal of infected material helps control MRSA without solely relying on resistant antibiotics.

MRSA's defining clinical characteristic is its resistance to this entire class of drugs.

Testing is required to identify effective antibiotics due to MRSA's unpredictable multi-drug resistance patterns.

Culture confirms the presence of MRSA and differentiates it from other bacterial pathogens.

Strict hygiene prevents the spread of active infections to other animals and humans.