Contamination of Veterinary Personnel and Companion Animals with Staphylococcus Bacteria in Clinics

In veterinary clinics, a unique environment is created where veterinary personnel come into contact with companion animals and microorganisms that are present on the fur, skin, and mucous membranes of patients. The work presents a study on the contamination of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx of veterinary workers and the skin and wounds of companion animals with bacteria of the genus Staphylococ¬cus, MRSA, and MRSP. It has been established that the veterinary staff of the clinics are carriers of coagu¬lase-positive staphylococci, in an average of 30% of cases on the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, which can be assessed as a source of airborne infection and possible infection of patient animals. At the same time, the zoonotic species S. pseudintermedius has colonized the mucous membranes of workers in a minimal number of samples. The healthy skin of companion animals can be a source of the spread of coag¬ulase-positive staphylococci in the environment of veterinary clinics during their visits. Among the veteri¬nary staff, MRSA has been more often isolated in 7.6% of nasopharyngeal washings, and MRSP has been detected only in 3.8%. At the same time, MRSP (11.6%) was detected in dogs and cats in greater numbers than MRSA (2.3%). Therefore, in veterinary clinics, it is necessary to carry out treatment and preventive procedures in compliance with sanitary and hygienic requirements, which would minimize the process of cross-contamination with pathogens in order to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.