Review of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in dairy cattle

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged globally as a significant public health/antimicrobial resistance nosocomial problem, both in human and veterinary medicine. In recent years, the so-called livestock-associated MRSA has become an additional focus. A literature review indicates few reports of MRSA in dairy cattle. Work from our laboratory supports previous studies indicating that MRSA is rare in milk of dairy cattle in the United States. Recent and sporadic isolation of MRSA and related staphylococci from cattle in countries other than the United States, and the similarity between some of the human and animal isolates found, provide rationale for monitoring MRSA occurrence in cattle. Considering the importance of S. aureus in human infectious disease, its highly contagious behavior among dairy cows, and the current gaps in knowledge about potential human-bovine connections, the epidemiology of MRSA (and other staphylococci) should represent an area of attention by the scientific community.