Therapeutic dogs can transmit superbugs to children, doctor says

NEW YORK (AP) – Therapy dogs can bring more than just joy and comfort to hospitalized children. They can also bring stubborn germs.

Doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore had reason to believe that dogs could pose a risk of infection for patients whose immune system is weakened. They conducted tests when Pippi, Poppy, Badger and Winnie visited 45 children who were on cancer treatment.

They found that children who spent more time with dogs were six times more likely to get super bacteria than children who spent less time with pets. But the study also revealed that washing dogs before visits and using special wipes during their stay in the hospital reduced the risk of spread of this bacteria.

The results of the unpublished study were released Friday at a scientific meeting in San Francisco.

An American health official said the results add to the growing understanding that interactions with pets and therapeutic animals can be beneficial, but can also be risky.

"Whether they are covered with fur, feathers or dander, animals can carry germs that can make people sick," said Casey Barton Behravesh of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pet therapy can help people recover from a range of health problems. Previous studies have shown that dogs or other animals can reduce anxiety and sadness, lower blood pressure and even reduce the amount of medication that some patients need.

But there have been outbreaks of MRSA superbase on therapeutic dogs of healthy appearance.

MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, often lives on the skin without causing symptoms. But they can become more dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying the heart valves or causing other damage. Health officials have linked MRSA to 11,000 deaths a year in the United States.

The bacteria can spread to daycares, locker rooms and military barracks, but public health efforts have focused on hospitals and retirement homes.

The Baltimore study looked at 45 children who interacted with the four dogs – fondling, hugging, feeding or playing with them – during 13 visits in 2016 and 2017.

Among the children who did not have MRSA, the researchers found the super-bacteria on about 10% of the samples taken from these children after the dog's visit. They also found MRSA on nearly 40% of the dog samples. The researchers also determined that the more time one spent with the animals, the greater the chances of ending up with the bacteria.

The researchers believe that the dogs were generally free of MRSA when they arrived at the hospital, but that they recovered it from patients or other people, said the researchers. one of the authors, Meghan Davis.

"Our hypothesis is that it's a good human-to-human transmission, but it has occurred through contact with fur," said Davis, a public health and veterinary researcher at Johns Hopkins.

Under hospital protocols, therapy dogs must be bathed within one day after the visit and be screened for wounds or other health problems. Children who see them are supposed to use a hand sanitizer "but that was not strictly enforced," said Kathryn Dalton, another researcher.

Later in the study, researchers asked dog owners to wash the animals with a special shampoo before visits. They also patted the dogs every five to ten minutes with disinfectant wipes at the hospital.

These steps have dramatically reduced the level of bacteria on dogs, said Dalton.

She hopes that further studies will show that such cleanings can reduce the risk of superbug infection.

"I really had the opportunity to see how important these dogs were to patients," Dalton said. After the sessions with the dogs, the children "would say how it was doing their day."

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