MRSA carriage in healthcare personnel in contact with farm animals.

In The Netherlands it has been shown that people in contact with pigs have a higher risk of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage than the general population. Isolates of closely related spa types, corresponding to multilocus sequence type (MLST) ST398, were found in pig farmers, pig veterinarians and pigs.. HCWs at four general hospitals and one university hospital were asked to fill in questionnaires covering contact with animals and to take MRSA cultures of their throat and nares. Seventy-seven of 1721 HCWs (4.4%) reported direct or indirect contact with pigs and/or veal calves and 145 reported contact with other livestock animals. MRSA carriage rate in the group in contact with pigs and veal calves was 1.7% and in the controls was 0.15%. No carriers were found among HCWs in contact with other livestock. An estimated 3% of hospital staff working in Dutch hospitals serving rural populations belong to a high risk group for MRSA carriage according to the Dutch guidelines. Although MRSA carriage in HCWs in contact with livestock is 10-fold higher than in other HCWs, the difference is not statistically significant. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2008;70:186-190.