Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. in the conjunctival sac of healthy dogs.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of selected coagulase-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRS) in the conjunctival sac in a group of healthy dogs and to compare the prevalence of ocular MRS colonization with colonization of typically assessed body sites including the nasal cavity and rectum.

ANIMALS STUDIED: 123 healthy dogs were used in the prevalence study: 40 dogs from a shelter and 83 privately owned dogs.

PROCEDURES: The sampling procedure included culturing three separate sites per subject in the following order: the lower conjunctival fornices, the nares, and rectum.

RESULTS

A low prevalence of 1.6% (2/123) of MRS was detected in healthy dogs. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was isolated from two dogs, one from a conjunctival swab and the other from a rectal swab.

CONCLUSION

The survey data indicate the ocular surface is a potential site of MRS colonization, although the prevalence was low in healthy dogs.