Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
nov 6, 2014
Farm animal link to hospital MRSA bugs
University experts say some MRSA bugs in UK hospitals can be traced back to a type of bacteria found in farm animals.
A strain of drug-resistant bacteria carried by some livestock - the MRSA strain Staphylococcus aureus CC398 - has also been found in patients, researchers say.
People and animals generally harbour distinct variants of CC398, which the team say evolved from the same bacteria.
However, the CC398 strain found in livestock can be transmitted to humans, and the study shows that this has happened on many occasions.
Enhanced resistance
The study provides new evidence that the livestock-associated CC398 strain could spread in hospitals, including those with newborn babies.
CC398 from farm animals is resistant to some common antibiotic drugs, which could make it harder to treat.
The strain’s enhanced drug resistance in livestock is likely the result of widespread use of antibiotics on farms, scientists say.
Patients in hospitals and nursing homes are at increased risk of MRSA infection, but healthy people in the wider community can also become infected.
More :University of Edinburgh
Farm animal link to hospital MRSA bugs
University experts say some MRSA bugs in UK hospitals can be traced back to a type of bacteria found in farm animals.
A strain of drug-resistant bacteria carried by some livestock - the MRSA strain Staphylococcus aureus CC398 - has also been found in patients, researchers say.
People and animals generally harbour distinct variants of CC398, which the team say evolved from the same bacteria.
However, the CC398 strain found in livestock can be transmitted to humans, and the study shows that this has happened on many occasions.
Enhanced resistance
The study provides new evidence that the livestock-associated CC398 strain could spread in hospitals, including those with newborn babies.
CC398 from farm animals is resistant to some common antibiotic drugs, which could make it harder to treat.
The strain’s enhanced drug resistance in livestock is likely the result of widespread use of antibiotics on farms, scientists say.
Patients in hospitals and nursing homes are at increased risk of MRSA infection, but healthy people in the wider community can also become infected.
More :University of Edinburgh