The next time you have difficulty fighting a bacterial infection, your next trip to the doctor might be to the family veterinarian.
A new University of Missouri-Columbia study is investigating whether the family pet could be a reservoir for infections of multi-resistant bacteria in humans.
Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a growing problem in the medical profession as doctors are prescribing second and third choice medicines when common antibiotics don’t work. In many cases, these other medicines might be less effective or cause more side effects. One particular type of bacterium, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can be fatal in humans, is the focus of a new research project led by MU veterinarians Stephanie Kottler, Leah Cohn and John Middleton.
“We used to think of these antibiotic-resistant infections as a healthcare issue that appeared in post-operative or long-term patients,” said Kottler, a resident at the MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. “However, we have been seeing more of these infections that have been acquired throughout the general population, or ‘community acquired’ infections. It’s important to know what environmental factors might be encouraging or prolonging these infections.”