November 14, 2007

Canadian researchers discover two strains of MRSA on pigs

Researchers in southwestern Ontario detected two major strains of the drug-resistant MRSA on pigs and pig farmers when the pathogen has been first discovered in North America.

One of the strains is believed to pass from people to pigs. The other one, which was first discovered in Netherlands in 2003, was passed from animals to people.

Researchers further suggest that pig farms could be major sources of MRSA for farm workers. People who cook and eat pork however, are not be at the same risk of acquiring MRSA, according to Dr. Scott Weese, veterinarian of Ontario Veterinary College. Food will be an unlikely source of the infection and there has been no evidence yet to link the route of transmission.

Whether MRSA poses a human health risk is not yet known, according to Weese. Previous studies found that 25 percent of Dutch pig farmers are positive of the strain which was also discovered in countries like Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Singapore, Korea, and now Canada. The carriage rate at present has risen to 50 percent.

Some people can carry Staph in their nasal passages or on their skin without them getting ill. Other can acquire infections which range from boils to life-threatening pneumonias.