Impact of Pet Ownership on SA/MRSA Colonization in Children & Families

描述(由申请人提供)：虽然人类与同伴动物互动对健康有公认的好处，但也有越来越多的人普遍关注宠物可能会成为人畜共患病细菌的宿主。在社区，金黄色葡萄球菌(SA)和耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)感染是一个严重且迅速增长的公共卫生问题。儿童是受耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌影响的人口中增长最快的部分。然而，很少有科学研究直接讨论宠物狗在家庭层面上是否在金黄色葡萄球菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的传播中发挥重要作用。该项目的总体目标是通过衡量金黄色葡萄球菌和耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌的定植情况来确定养宠物对儿童的影响，这是感染过程的第一步。这项研究将：1)确定金黄色葡萄球菌和耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌在社区样本中的定殖率，并将其与非宠物家庭成员的样本进行比较；2)检查特定类型的人与动物的相互作用是否与定殖化有关；3)使用分子方法(PFGE和SCCmec分型)检查从儿童、家庭成员和他们的宠物狗身上恢复的菌株的相关性。我们的跨学科团队将确定可能与殖民风险增加相关的特定人类因素、动物因素、社会环境(即人与动物的互动)和物理环境特征。鉴于越来越多的证据表明人与动物的互动对健康有益，未来的研究必须考虑饲养宠物的潜在健康风险--特别是在那些由于免疫功能受损而容易感染的儿童中。这项研究将有助于我们了解宠物在家中对儿童健康的潜在影响，并有助于确定降低金黄色葡萄球菌和金黄色葡萄球菌在家中传播风险的措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While there are recognized health benefits from human interaction with companion animals, there is also increasing popular concern that pets can serve as reservoirs of "zoonotic" bacteria. In the community, Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a critical and rapidly growing public health issue. Children represent the fastest growing segment of the population affected by MRSA. However, few scientific studies have directly addressed whether pet dogs play an important role in the transmission of SA and MRSA at the household level. The overall aim of this project is to determine the impact of pet ownership on children by measuring SA and MRSA colonization which is the first step in the infectious process. This study will: 1) determine the prevalence of SA and MRSA colonization in a community-based sample of children and family members with pet dogs and compare this to a sample of non-pet owning household members, 2) examine whether specific types of human-animal interactions are associated with colonization, and 3) examine the relatedness of recovered strains from children, family members, and their pet dogs using molecular methods (PFGE and SCCmec typing). Our interdisciplinary team will identify specific human factors, animal factors, social environments (i.e., human-animal interactions), and physical environmental characteristics that may be associated with increased colonization risk. Given the increasing evidence of the health benefits of human-animal interaction, it is important for future studies to consider potential health risks f pet ownership - particularly among children who are susceptible to infection due to impaired immune function. This study will contribute to our knowledge of how pets in the home potentially impact children's health and could help identify measures which would reduce the risk of transmission of SA and MRSA in the home.