The first cases of animals becoming infected with a superbug usually acquired by humans in hospital have now been reported in the Republic.
The MRSA infections have been found in up to 30 animals, mainly pet dogs. But the potentially fatal superbug has also been found in cats, horses, rabbits and even a seal.
Dr Mary Booth, a lecturer in the school of science at Athlone Institute of Technology, said these were the first reports in Ireland of MRSA in animals.
Dr Booth has been carrying out an analysis of the strains of MRSA found in the animals and she confirmed yesterday that a number of strains of MRSA commonly found in humans had been found in the animals. "It suggests there is some type of transmission between the two," she said.
While she believes it is more likely the animals picked up the bug from humans, she said the possibility of the animals transmitting MRSA to humans could not be ruled out.
"We believe it's probably human to pet transmission but it's possible animals spread it to humans. We have no way of saying for definite it's from humans to animals but we suspect that," Dr Booth said.
"This is another possible reservoir for the spread of MRSA outside hospitals," she added.
A number of veterinary healthcare workers had also been found to be "colonised" with MRSA, she confirmed. This means they were carriers but not ill.
The samples of the multi-drug resistant bacteria analysed at Athlone IT were supplied by the veterinary faculty at University College Dublin.
"These would have been cases vets were finding difficult to treat and they would have referred the organism they isolated from the animals to the UCD veterinary laboratory for analysis," Dr Booth said.
The samples were taken over the past 12 to 18 months.
Asked if families with pets should be concerned about picking up MRSA from them, Dr Booth said healthy individuals were not susceptible to MRSA in general.
MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a bacterium that can reside on the skin or can be found in the nose of about one third of healthy individuals. It causes problems when it gains access to deep tissue or the bloodstream.
Based on figures for Galway Regional Hospitals, where 729 patients were found to be "colonised" with the bug last year, it is estimated that up to 10,000 patients may be picking up MRSA in Irish hospitals every year.