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Summer 2006 Update
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| SUMMER
2006 NEWS UPDATE
Reports on the
1st International Conference on MRSA in Animals. I can’t really describe the feeling I had when the conference opened. Twenty research papers on clinical and epidemiological aspects of MRSA in animals were presented by some of the world’s leading veterinary experts came for two days of presentations which took place at the Leahurst campus of the University of Liverpool June 19-21st 2006. The event was organised jointly by The University of Liverpool and The Bella Moss Foundation, and for the first time human and animal health and microbiology experts met to look at how mrsa transmission occurs between humans and animals. The research drew a picture of the current state of knowledge regarding MRSA in animals and laid plans for future action.
The Liverpool CPD team and Jill The
conference was addressed by people from the UK, Europe, and North
America, each one a recognised expert in their field and became a
reality after Dr Sue Dawson of the University of Liverpool met me at
the DEFRA Anti-microbial Resistance Committee of which I am is the only
lay member, and so, after nine months of planning, phoning, writing and
visiting, the conference took place and was hailed by delegates,
speakers and press alike as a tremendous success. (See links at the
bottom of the page for press articles)
It
was profoundly satisfying to think that in only a year The Bella Moss
Foundation had gone from a small information website to being a foundation
that has co-organised such a historical event. But the
conference
was not just about the presentations; there was a great deal of
networking and discussion that took place outside of the auditorium,
and for the first time I understood how well known The Foundation had
become outside of the UK. When people told me that Bella’s
story
was famous around the world I understood they meant it in the sense of
bringing the issue of MRSA into the daily awareness of researchers and
clinicians. One of the very best things that happened is that I got to
know Professor Scott Weese and since the conference he has been of
enormous help with cases across the USA and Canada.
I think that for many of the speakers and delegates it was the first time that they had been involved in an event that was directly linked to something that had happened to an animal, and Professor David Lloyd from the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire paid the Foundation a compliment by saying that although my campaign could have been a cause of conflict between vets and owners, the hard work I had done had brought the two sides closer together, and that this was the key to reducing cases. Communication is of paramount importance because MRSA is not a death sentence; if owners report symptoms immediately, and vets have up-to-date information, then lives can be saved. In this respect, Bella’s death has become a signpost for change and will help benefit animal welfare in the future.
The
Foundation could not have made this event possible without the help of
sponsors
and the University of Liverpool’s CPD (Continuing
Professional Development)
Department who took the main burden in organising the schedule. Our
major
sponsors were DEFRA and Pet Plan and also other companies supported the
event
such as Medichem, Bayer, Vetriquinol and ProLab. Among the other speakers at the conference were Dr Anette Loeffler of the Royal Veterinary College; Dr Scott Weese of the University of Ontario, Professor Wolfgange Witte of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany; Dr Nola Leonard of the University of Dublin; Dr Tim Nuttall of the University of Liverpool; Professor Peter Hawkey of The Health Protection Agency, and Dr Mark Enright of University College, London. Presentations covered the way MRSA has developed around the globe, approaches to its treatment, and new developments in DNA and microbiological analysis.
The Conference speakers and organisers In addition to risk of transmission we learned about the difficulty in analysing strains of MRSA, and that there is no universal system of classification. Whilst most people may think that MRSA is a thing, a single entity, the truth is that it is a whole range of different strains of bacteria, each with its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. MRSA is not a single bacterium, but a whole sub-group of Staphylococcus aureus that needs to be dealt with individually and which has to be thought of as remarkably able at developing new defences against the antibiotics we use to treat them. | One
of the things that came out of the conference was that everyone agreed
on the
need for the veterinary profession to re-evaluate the way infection
control is
approached. Tim
Nuttall (Liverpool University) gave
an excellent
presentation on the procedures that practices could
implement in order
to minimise the risk of transmission and infection when a pet has to
undergo
surgery. Professor
Scott Weese from University of Guelph, Canada said MRSA in animals is
here to
stay - but it is controllable with good hygiene.
There
are no official lines for veterinary practices, and that is
something the
Foundation would like to see changed. The conference outcome was a
unanimous
agreement that the use of gowns, gloves and masks, barrier nursing for
animals
at high risk and diligent cleaning of premises would significantly
reduce infections.
There was also unanimous support for the idea of drastically reducing
the use
of general, broad-spectrum antibiotics. It
was agreed that bacteria in general need to be treated on the basis of
their
specific susceptibility, because it’s the ones that have
resistance that are
the trouble. Before we can treat them we need to know whether they are
present
and it can take time to discover the true nature of an infection which
can lead
to lost time. On the other hand, failing to identify the resistance of
a
bacterium can mean that things get out of hand very quickly. MRSA
in animals can no longer be treated lightly. The conference showed us
that,
around the world, researchers, clinicians, and scientists are working
very hard
to find the answers we need to control the spread of MRSA in animals. All animals affected by MRSA No
species is exempt; research shows us that MRSA has been found in
wildlife
(including birds), zoo animals, livestock, and companion animals of all
kinds. Even a seal
from a sanctuary in
Ireland was found to have MRSA; we do not know how the seal got it. For
more on detailed presentations from speakers on the above read our
veterinary
press article links at the end
Jill at the Conference Board It
would have been easy to have seen the conference itself as only a
single event,
but in the closing session, chaired by Paul Gayford of Defra, plans
were made
to take forward the issues that had been raised and develop concrete
plans of
action. One of these was the creation of a website and International
Committee
that would make presentations available to Internet visitors throughout
the
world. This was agreed to be vital in maintaining the momentum that the
conference had created. It was also proposed that a second
International
Conference run alongside the World Congress in Hong Kong in 2008, and
The
Foundation will have an involvement. We
are also working on making a series of smaller events on infection
control
available to vets and vet nurses in different parts of the country. At
the moment
we are discussing with the BSAVA the possibility of joint events that
will
achieve this. We know that there is huge pressure on the time and
finances of
practicing vets, so we want to make it as easy as possible to get the
information they need. The
work of the Foundation has only just begun, and now the conference is
over we
are organising talks in animal hospitals and veterinary conferences and
preparing for shows such as wag and bone, discover dogs and Crufts
where we
will continue to raise awareness amongst pet owners and the public. The
Bella Moss Foundation is committed to supporting new advances in the
battle
against MRSA; this includes research and educational events because if
we make
the funds available we are helping vets get the information they need
to
safeguard the future health of our companion animals. So what has this conference
done to help pet
owners? As
new cases emerge we are discovering some vets are still unaware of the
risk
posed by MRSA. In the UK it is the same strain dominating our hospitals
that is
infecting our pets. Transmission is from humans to animals, and the
research
shows quite clearly that vets seem to have a higher risk of carrying MRSA than the general population. All surgery or invasive
procedures carry a
risk. As pet
owners, our concerns have
always tended to relate to anaesthetic risk but nowadays we need to
think about
prevention of infection. The
conference speakers and delegates agreed that there can no longer be
any
complacency when it comes to preventing infections, and the BSAVA now
recommends that all veterinary staff should wear gowns, gloves and
mask’s
during surgical procedures. Hygiene
and
cleaning is the key to preventing infections, and staff and premises
should be
swabbed every so often in order to accurately assess the risk. Where do we find MRSA? MRSA
is everywhere – it can live harmlessly on the skin and in the
noses and throats
of healthy animal and people - but when it gets into tissue through
broken skin
or invasive procedures it can go undetected and this can be fatal. We know that MRSA has been
shown to survive
for a year on dry surfaces, and will probably be found in the dust that
is
formed by the dead skin cells that the human body naturally sheds.
Research
conducted at The Royal Veterinary College and other animal hospitals
has found
MRSA in kennels, on bedding and computer keyboards, floors, door
handles, as
well as other areas, so if your vet tells you that MRSA is not a risk
for your
pet – alarm bells should go off in your head. Veterinary Link British Small Animal
Veterinary Association’s guidelines on MRSA in
animals (BSAVA guidelines) for download Advice for pet owners - See
link at bottom of page Ask
you vet about their infection control procedures Do
they operate an infection control policy? This means do they use gowns,
gloves
and masks for surgical procedures Do
they advise staff to wash hands in between treatment of animals? Do
they clean their premises adequately? Do
they have isolation areas for infected pets that are contagious? Are
the staff in charge of animal overnight fully qualified? To read conference presentations on infection control and research download the PDF articles published in Vet Times in June and July 2006 Our Dogs March24 2006 March 24 2006 Remember,
MRSA is not a death sentence; it can be prevented with strict hygiene
control
and treated successfully with early detection. Healthy animals are not
at risk,
keep your pet healthy and avoid leaving your pet unnecessarily in
hospital as
this adds to the risk of infections being picked up.
Spring 2006 Newsletter |
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Visit our sister website pets-mrsa.com Downloads for viewing and printing (in PDF format): Mission Statement For more information Press Contact No: 07860879079 Website kindly developed and hosted by Rob Prince of Help Exchange |
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Cover of the Conference Book
The Conference dining tent
Professor David Lloyd
