Sharing More than Friendship — Nasal Colonization with Coagulase-Positive Staphylococci (CPS) and Co-Habitation Aspects of Dogs and Their Owners

Abstract

BackgroundSince the relationship between dogs and their owners has changed, and dogs moved from being working dogs to family members in post-industrial countries, we hypothesized that zoonotic transmission of opportunistic pathogens like coagulase positive staphylococci (CPS) is likely between dogs and their owners.Methodology/Principal FindingsCPS- nasal carriage, different aspects of human-to-dog relationship as well as potential interspecies transmission risk factors were investigated by offering nasal swabs and a questionnaire to dog owners (108) and their dogs (108) at a dog show in 2009. S. aureus was found in swabs of 20 (18.5%) humans and two dogs (1.8%), and spa types which correspond to well known human S. aureus lineages dominated (e.g. CC45, CC30 and CC22). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the two canine strains revealed ST72 and ST2065 (single locus variant of ST34). Fifteen dogs (13.9%) and six owners (5.6%) harboured S. pseudintermedius, including one mecA-positive human isolate (MRSP). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed that one dog/owner pair harboured indistinguishable S. pseudintermedius- isolates of ST33. Ten (48%) of the 21 S. pseudintermedius-isolates showed resistance towards more than one antimicrobial class. 88.9% of the dog owners reported to allow at least one dog into the house, 68.5% allow the dog(s) to rest on the sofa, 39.8% allow their dogs to come onto the bed, 93.5% let them lick their hands and 52.8% let them lick their face. Bivariate analysis of putative risk factors revealed that dog owners who keep more than two dogs have a significantly higher chance of being colonized with S. pseudintermedius than those who keep 1–2 dogs (p<0.05).Conclusions/RecommendationsIn conclusion, CPS transmission between dog owners and their dogs is possible. Further investigation regarding interspecies transmission and the diverse adaptive pathways influencing the epidemiology of CPS (including MRSA and MRSP) in different hosts is needed.

Asymptomatic colonization of Staphylococcus aureus with intermediate resistance to vancomycin harboring vanB resistance gene

“…The prevalence of S. aureus among human was 19.35% for the nasal, 14% for nail, and 8.8% for skin. These results are in agreement with results obtained by other researchers [34,35]. Strains present in the nose often contaminate the back of hands, fingers and face and so nasal carriers can easily become skin carriers [36].…”

Yersinia enterocolitica in Diagnostic Fecal Samples from European Dogs and Cats: Identification by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

“…Strains isolated from dogs in particular share common genotypes with pathogenic strains isolated from humans (7,13). The contact between many dogs and cats and their owners has noticeably changed in postindustrial countries during the last decades (44,45). Because of farcloser human and companion animal contact, the transmission of microorganisms between them is facilitated (46).…”

Detección del gen mecA en cepas de Staphylococcus coagulasa positiva aisladas desde gatos

“…Sumado a esto, nuevas especies de SCP han sido identificadas como zoonóticas 10,31,38 . Así, en años recientes ha emergido la infección por S. schleiferi subsp.…”

“…Si bien S. aureus es un frecuente colonizador en humanos y se encuentra ampliamente distribuido en hospederos mamíferos en general, las cepas del SIG se asocian predominantemente con perros y gatos 10 . Si bien en gatos Staphylococcus no son causantes frecuentes de enfermedades dermatológicas, estas bacterias pueden actuar como colonizantes de lesiones cutáneas y prolongando cuadros de dermatitis, foliculitis y piodermas superficiales.…”