The Bella Moss Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in the United Kingdom dedicated to helping veterinarians and pet owners with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), plans an April U.S. tour to spread the word about the growing threat of MRSA in pets, as well as ways that the veterinary industry can increase early detection and prevention. The foundation will present three sessions to raise awareness about MRSA - mainly that it is preventable and treatable if detected early. Presentations by Jill Moss, foundation president, and Mark Dosher, co-founder, are scheduled at the American Animal Medical Center, the University of South Florida and Cornell University. MRSA is an emerging problem with pets in North America, according to Dr. J. Scott Weese, adviser to the foundation. “Well over 1,000 infections occur each year, and it is likely that a large number of infections go undiagnosed. The strains of MRSA that cause infections in pets are the same as those that cause disease in people, demonstrating the close relationship between people and their pets, and the impact that people and pets can have on each others’ health,” Dr. Weese said. The foundation’s strategy is to raise awareness of MRSA among U.S. pet owners and to improve clinical approaches to MRSA by veterinarians, as it has done in the U.K., according to Moss. “The U.S. veterinary associations have limited information on MRSA, and we have provided veterinarians in the United States with access to our clinical advisers to help with first-time cases. We hope to aid veterinary associations in the U.S. to make more information widely available for veterinarians,” Moss said. Click here for details about the foundation and its upcoming U.S. tour. <HOME>
