Pets Pass Superbug to Humans

[YoYo]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090622/sc_livescience/petspasssuperbugtohumans

"The superbug, a strain of bacteria known as MRSA, has evolved a resistance to antibiotics. It has long plagued hospitals but in recent years has become more common in homes. MRSA has even invaded beaches."

[warhorse46]

Letting our pets lick us on the face or sharing food with them isn't such a smart idea after all.



The article said absolutely nothing about licking, it specifically states bites. Bites involve the breaking of the skin which allow the bacteria to enter the body, licking doesn't.

[Shells2]

Letting our pets lick us on the face or sharing food with them isn't such a smart idea after all.


I remember having this discussion here a long time ago and some people were just adamant that it is totally acceptable. I realize you can't fault some people for their lack of education and knowledge on a subject, but some things are just too dangerous and unsanitary to sit back and not comment on.

Maybe this will convince some people. :confused:

[Shells2]

I think it's just good common sense, not to mention good hygiene not to let dogs lick you on the face. MRSA lives in their saliva and it can even live on their noses too. Scary stuff.

Right! Bacteria isn't picky - it's not going to say "Oh we can't go in there because it technically isn't a bite, and the link provided said it must be a bite".

If a dog licks your hand, and you rub your eye, mouth or nose, the same transmission of bacteria can occur as if you were bitten. It's just an entrance into the body - like I said it isn't picky about how it gets there.

[AnnieBell]

I think it's just good common sense, not to mention good hygiene not to let dogs lick you on the face. MRSA lives in their saliva and it can even live on their noses too. Scary stuff.

I was just passing by on my way to another topic and saw this title. Ironically, I had sent a message to a fellow poster who was recently bit by the family dog to seek medical treatment after the recent news about MRSA. MRSA use to be seen mainly in medical facilities and during the mid 90's we implemented a policy to screen all patients who admitted into the ICU which was done by doing a nasal swab. We discovered just about everyone was coming up positive even in patients who didn't fit the profile of a typical MRSA patient. Eventually, the screening process ended. Since then MRSA has been divided into 2 catagories #1 hospital acquired MRSA and #2 community acquired MRSA which has been found to be spread in public areas such as the beach and when large groups of individuals gather such as football teams. (o.k. I'll sit down now):read: