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SAN FRANCISCO – Stroking a therapy dog can help reduce stress and anxiety in children with cancer, but visiting one of these furry friends can also transmit dangerous germs to these vulnerable children.
But now, a new study suggests a way to make therapeutic dog therapy visits safer for cancer patients in children: Clean dogs with antiseptic shampoo and wipes.
The study examined children with cancer who interacted closely with dogs, stroking or hugging them. If the dogs had not been cleaned, the children were six times more likely to become carriers of the MRSA (Methicillin Resistant) Superbacterium. Staphylococcus aureus) revealed the study, compared to children who did not interact closely with dogs. (A "carrier" of MRSA refers to a person who has the body somewhere on their body, like their skin, but that has not caused any infection.) [11 Ways Your Beloved Pet May Make You Sick]
The study revealed that cleaning dogs with a special shampoo reduced the chances of spreading the superbug.
The results were presented here at IDWeek, a meeting of several organizations focused on infectious diseases.
"We found benefits throughout our study" for children playing with therapeutic dogs, Kathryn Dalton, lead author of the study, veterinarian and PhD student at the Bloomberg School of Public, said today. Johns Hopkins University Health in Baltimore. ) at a press conference on the results. For example, children reported a decrease in stress levels, anxiety, and pain after the therapy visit, Dalton said.
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that can cause skin infections and is resistant to several antibiotics. Some people may carry staphylococcal bacteria or even MRSA on the skin or in the nose without symptoms (which means they are not infected). In the United States, about one third of the population carries staph and 2% without symptoms.
However, cancer patients with MRSA are more likely to develop MRSA infection than healthy people because cancer treatment can weaken the immune system.
In addition, because dogs visit many patients and often move around the hospital, or even between different hospitals, they can take MRSA from surfaces or interact with patients and spread it, the researchers said. .
In the new study, researchers analyzed information from 45 cancer patients in children and young adults (aged 2 to 20 years) and four treated dogs. The study did not include children already suffering from MRSA infection.
During seven therapy sessions, the handlers followed their usual procedures before and during the visit (which means that the dogs were not treated with antibiotic cleansers). But on six visits, the dogs were cleaned with a shampoo containing chlorhexidine antiseptic prior to the visit and with chlorhexidine-containing wipes every 5 to 10 minutes during the visit. Children and dogs have been tested for MRSA before and after therapy visits.
The study found that when dogs were not cleaned with antibiotics, four cancer patients (15%) became carriers of MRSA, just like three of the dogs (43%).
But when the dogs were cleaned, only one patient with cancer (4.5%) became a carrier of MRSA. This is probably due not to the fact that the child is playing with the dog, but to an interaction with another patient or with a surface during the therapy session, said Dalton.
The cleaning practice "essentially removed the dog from the equation" in terms of the spread of MSRA, Dalton said.
Dalton added that dogs appreciated the intervention, because wiping was "like a pet".
However, the frequent use of the antiseptic could make the bacteria more resistant to cleaning. For this reason, researchers are testing samples of the bacteria for genes indicating resistance.
Further studies are needed to determine if any of the children who became carriers of MRSA during the course of the study eventually develop a MRSA infection. And as this new study is the first of its kind, researchers should test the intervention at other hospitals and departments to confirm the results.
The results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Originally published on Science live.
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