Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has commissioned research into the impact of MRSA on pigs following recent cases in the Netherlands.
Answer
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been isolated from dairy cows, pigs and chickens outside the UK and the international picture is being assessed on an ongoing basis. There is no current evidence that food-producing animals form a reservoir of infection in the UK and the organism has not been detected in farmed livestock in the UK. DEFRA has initiated a study undertaken by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency to test S. aureus isolates obtained from bovine clinical submissions for MRSA. This project commenced in autumn 2006 and, to date, more than 500 samples have been tested, with no MRSA identified.The issue of MRSA in other livestock species was discussed at a meeting of the DEFRA Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination MRSA subgroup in January. The subgroup was set up to advise on how best the Department can contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the role of MRSA in animals.Members felt that, at present, broadening the scope of work in this area should only be considered after analysis of the current findings relating to humans in the UK with MRSA infections. The particular, strain of MRSA (ST398) occurring in pigs in some other parts of Europe was not reported to have been detected so far in humans in the UK and this was a key consideration in reaching the decision taken. However, the position will be kept under active review, taking into account the latest findings in humans and animals, as well as developments in Europe and elsewhere.The European Food Safety Authority is also looking at the issue of MRSA in food-producing animals and considering what surveillance and other actions would be most appropriate for EU member states to undertake to address the issue. The UK is actively participating in the development of these proposals.