Pets Can Cause Serious Infections in Humans

Veterinarians from Florida have written an article in the Lancet Infectious Diseases that points the finger at household pets, indicting them of being responsible from some serious human infections, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).

Infections produced by bites are the main culprits. They can be mixtures of bugs from the patient’s skin and the pet’s oral cavity, such as Pasteurella multocida, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, and Capnocytophaga canimorsus. In addition, cats and dogs can be colonized by MRSA – probably acquired from their owners (cats and dogs usually carry Staph. intermedius). The MRSA is often the USA300 clone, the strain responsible for skin soft-tissue infections in community-acquired MRSA in the USA.

Animal bites make up about 1% of all emergency room visits – about 60% by dogs. 20% by cats, and the rest by other animals. Severe infections occur in about 20% of such bites, with possible serious consequences: bacteremia, meningitis, endocarditis, and peritonitis. Between 30% and 40% of hand bites become infected, so an ER visit is mandatory. No matter how much you love your pet, remember his mouth is very, very dirty (just like a human’s).