TY - JOUR AU - Wulf, Mireille AU - van Nes, Arie AU - Eikelenboom-Boskamp, Andrea AU - de Vries, Janneke AU - Melchers, Willem AU - Klaassen, Corné AU - Voss, Andreas T1 - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterinary Doctors and Students, the Netherlands T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2006 VL - 12 IS - 12 SP - 1939 SN - 1080-6059 AB - The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Netherlands, at 1.0%, is among the lowest in Europe. In 2004, a relationship between pig farming and a high risk for MRSA carriage was found. To investigate if those in professional contact with livestock are at higher risk for MRSA carriage, we screened 80 veterinary students and 99 veterinarians and questioned them about animal contacts and known MRSA risk factors. Of these, 27 students who did not have livestock contact were excluded from further analysis. We found 7 carriers of MRSA, a prevalence of 4.6%, which is similar to that found in patients who had previously been treated at foreign hospitals. A correlation of MRSA carriage with a specific animal group could not be established. To preserve the low prevalence of MRSA in the Netherlands, persons involved in the care of livestock should be isolated and screened on admission to the hospital. KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - methicillin resistance KW - veterinarian KW - domestic animals KW - carriers KW - research KW - the Netherlands DO - 10.3201/eid1212.060355 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/12/06-0355_article ER - End of Reference