Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 from livestock veterinarians to their household members

Erwin Verkade, Marjolein Kluytmans-van den Bergh, Birgit van Benthem, Brigitte van Cleef, Miranda van Rijen, Thijs Bosch, Leo Schouls, Jan Kluytmans

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

There are indications that livestock-associated MRSA CC398 has a reduced human-to-human transmissibility, limiting its impact on public health and justifying modified control measures. This study determined the transmissibility of MRSA CC398 from livestock veterinarians to their household members in the community as compared to MRSA non-CC398 strains. A one-year prospective cohort study was performed to determine the presence of MRSA CC398 in four-monthly nasal and oropharyngeal samples of livestock veterinarians (n  =  137) and their household members (n  =  389). In addition, a cross-sectional survey was performed to detect the presence of MRSA non-CC398 in hospital derived control patients (n  =  20) and their household members (n  =  41). Staphylococcus aureus isolates were genotyped by staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Mean MRSA CC398 prevalence over the study period was 44% (range 41.6-46.0%) in veterinarians and 4.0% (range 2.8-4.7%) in their household members. The MRSA CC398 prevalence in household members of veterinarians was significantly lower than the MRSA non-CC398 prevalence in household members of control patients (PRR 6.0; 95% CI 2.4-15.5), indicating the reduced transmissibility of MRSA CC398. The impact of MRSA CC398 appears to be low at the moment. However, careful monitoring of the human-to-human transmissibility of MRSA CC398 remains important.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e100823
JournalPLoS ONE [E]
Volume9
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Family
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Livestock
  • Male
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
  • Staphylococcal Infections
  • Staphylococcal Protein A
  • Tandem Repeat Sequences
  • Veterinarians

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 from livestock veterinarians to their household members'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this