Table I.
Univariable analysis of associations between MRSA infection status (i.e. MRSA case and MSSA control) in 181 dogs and cats and attributes of their clinical history (based on available medical records) during the 6 months prior to sample submission, using animal as the unit of analysis and veterinary practice as a random effect. For variables with two categories the p-value is provided where as for variables with more than two categories an overall p-value based on a Wald-test is provided.
| Variable level | MRSA n (%) | MSSA n (%) | OR | 95% CI | p-value | Overall p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | ||||||
| Dogs | 70 (70.71) | 47 (57.32) | Ref. | |||
| Cat | 29 (29.29) | 35 (42.68) | 0.5 | 0.20–1.23 | 0.131 | |
| Sex | ||||||
| Female | 49 (49.50) | 37 (45.12) | Ref. | |||
| Male | 50 (50.50) | 45 (54.88) | 0.83 | 0.35–1.98 | 0.67 | |
| Age in years | ||||||
| < 2 | 22 (23.91) | 21 (26.58) | Ref. | 0.749 | ||
| 2 to 5 | 26 (28.26) | 17 (21.52) | 1.07 | 0.28–4.16 | 0.919 | |
| 5 to 9 | 20 (21.74) | 23 (29.11) | 0.6 | 0.16–2.31 | 0.455 | |
| > 9 | 24 (26.09) | 18 (22.78) | 1.19 | 0.31–4.59 | 0.798 | |
| Body weight | ||||||
| < 15 kg | 39 (43.33) | 44 (58.67) | Ref. | |||
| > 15 kg | 51 (56.67) | 31 (41.33) | 2.03 | 0.81–5.08 | 0.13 | |
| Number of visits to veterinary practice* | ||||||
| Once | 8 (8.16) | 16 (19.51) | Ref. | 0.126 | ||
| 2 to 4 | 29 (29.59) | 26 (31.71) | 2.73 | 0.69–10.87 | 0.154 | |
| > 5 | 61 (62.25) | 40 (48.78) | 3.79 | 1.05–13.75 | 0.043 | |
| Number of days admitted to veterinary practice | ||||||
| None | 8 (8.08) | 30 (36.58) | Ref. | 0.001 | ||
| 1 | 28 (28.28) | 38 (46.34) | 3.82 | 0.96–15.30 | 0.058 | |
| > 1 | 63 (63.64) | 14 (17.07) | 35.41 | 6.04–207.55 | 0.001 | |
| Number of antimicrobial courses | ||||||
| None | 8 (8.09) | 25 (30.49) | Ref. | 0.01 | ||
| 1 | 31 (31.31) | 24 (29.27) | 6.06 | 1.50–24.50 | 0.011 | |
| 2 | 30 (30.30) | 23 (28.05) | 5.37 | 1.34–21.52 | 0.018 | |
| > 3 | 30 (30.30) | 10 (12.20) | 19.75 | 3.41–114.44 | 0.001 | |
| Topical antimicrobial therapy | ||||||
| No | 65 (65.66) | 58 (70.73) | Ref. | |||
| Yes | 34 (34.34) | 24 (29.27) | 1.53 | 0.57–4.09 | 0.394 | |
| Systemic glucocorticoid therapy | ||||||
| Yes | 16 (16.16) | 17 (20.73) | Ref. | |||
| No | 83 (83.84) | 65 (79.27) | 1.23 | 0.40–3.75 | 0.722 | |
| Surgical implant | ||||||
| No | 71 (71.72) | 80 (97.56) | Ref. | |||
| Yes | 28 (28.28) | 2 (2.44) | 49.4 | 4.38–556.60 | 0.002 | |
| Duration of infection* | ||||||
| < 2 months | 72 (72.73) | 48 (58.54) | Ref. | |||
| > 2 months | 27 (27.27) | 34 (41.46) | 0.45 | 0.17–1.19 | 0.106 | |
| Concurrent chronic disease* | ||||||
| No | 61 (61.62) | 38 (46.34) | Ref. | |||
| Yes | 38 (38.38) | 44 (53.66) | 0.36 | 0.12–1.01 | 0.053 | |
Ref.: reference category; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval.
* Number of visits to veterinary practice: number of outpatient visits in 6 months prior to swab; Duration of infection: duration of clinical signs compatible with infection at sampling site; Concurrent chronic disease: chronic non-communicable conditions not associated with MRSA or MSSA infection. These included, but were not limited to endocrinopathy, heart disease, degenerative joint disease.