Companion animals — such as dogs, cats and horses — may carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and be able to transmit the infection to humans, according to a study published in the American Society for Microbiology's journal mBio.
Researchers compared nearly 50 MRSA samples found in pets over a span of four years with the strains found in people and found the bacteria is genetically similar. They also found the use of pet antibiotics in animals has an effect on MRSA strains.
The potential impact animals can have on infections in people is an area of considerable concern for some health experts, according to a report from the International Business Times.
Some health experts worry the growing number of animal infections and the overuse of pet antibiotics, which don't require a prescription, may worsen the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans, according to the report.
"If we need to use an antibiotic, we need to use it right — which means getting the right diagnosis," Scott Weese, an infectious disease expert at a Canadian veterinary college, told CBC News. "We need to use the right drug, right duration. All of these things can go wrong if people access the drugs in a wrong way."
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