PETS CAN PASS SUPERBUG TO HUMANS, SCIENTISTS CLAIM

Pets can pass the killer superbug MRSA to humans, according to scientists in the United States.
A news study has found that transmission of the infectious disease from dogs and cats to humans, and back again, is an increasing problem.
MRSA, which has long plagued hospitals and has evolved a resistance to antibiotics, has become more common in homes in recent years according to the boffins. It has even invaded beaches.
Scientists only began to seriously suspect pets were transmitting the bacteria about two years ago.
Richard Oehler of the University of South Florida College of Medicine and colleagues prepared the report which lays out the latest thinking on MRSA - methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - and pets.
The infections can be transmitted by animal bites and most threaten young children, the researchers say.
"As community-acquired strains of MRSA increase in prevalence, a growing body of clinical evidence has documented MRSA colonisation in domestic animals, often implying direct acquisition of S aureus infection from their human owners," the scientists' reports says.
"MRSA colonisation has been documented in companion animals such as horses, dogs, and cats, and these animals have been viewed as potential reservoirs of infection."
Dog and cat bites make up about one percent of emergency room visits in the United States.
The report notes that women and the elderly are most at risk of being bitten by a cat.
It also says that men in general and those aged under 20 of both sexes are most likely to be injured.
Most bite exposures occur in young children, involve unrestrained dogs on the owner's property, and about 20 percent involve a non-neutered dog, the report says.
The risk is highest in young boys aged five to nine years, due to their small size and lack of understanding of provocative behaviour.
Severe infections can occur in about 20 percent of all cases, the researchers state, and are caused by Pasteurella, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium, and Capnocytophaga bacteria from the animal's mouth, plus possibly other pathogens from the human's skin.
"Proper treatment of dog and cat bites should involve treatment of the immediate injury (whether superficial or deep) and then management of the risk of acute infection, including washing with high pressure saline if possible, and antibiotics in selected cases," the researchers suggest.
"Bites to the hands, forearms, neck, and head have the potential for the highest morbidity," the scientists warn.
They conclude: "Much more remains to be learned about MRSA and pet-associated human infections."