Report on MRSA and veterinary practice published
A report on occupational health in veterinary practice: MRSA screening and the role of occupational health, has been published by the Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI).
A key recommendation of the report is that currently Livestock Associated MRSA and companion animal MRSA is not affecting significant numbers of animals in England, but this needs to be kept under review. Occupational health physicians may recommend staff screening when clusters of animals with MRSA infections and associated ongoing transmission occurs.
The report can be found at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) website and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) website. The former has an interest in the prevention and control of MRSA in companion animals, and the latter may need to consider occupational health issues and producing a document on MRSA in all species.