SUMMARY: Case reports have indicated transmission ofStaphylococcus aureusbetween humans and pets. We investigated associations between level of contact between dog and owner, andS. aureuscolonization. In a cross-sectional study, nasal carriage and antibiotic susceptibility ofS. aureuswas determined for 830 dogs and 736 owners. Relatedness of isolates was investigated using antibiograms and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Associations between carriage and demographics or amount of contact between owners and dogs were documented.S. aureuswas isolated in 24% of humans and 8·8% of dogs. Antibiotic resistance was significantly more common in canine isolates. Of 17 owner/dog colonized pairs, six were indistinguishable by PFGE. Colonization of dogs was not associated with close human contact, but was strongly associated with health-care occupations (OR 3·29, 95% CI 1·49–7·26,P=0·002). In outbreak situations health-care workers' pets should be considered as a source ofS. aureus. High rates of resistance indicate increased monitoring of antibiotic use in veterinary practice is needed.

Objectives: The presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on meat purchased from retail outlets may allow its spread to households and represents a risk for colonization and possibly infection of consumers. Improved isolation methods have indicated that more than 10% of samples are positive. We aimed to determine rates of MRSA contamination of meat samples, including comparison of fresh and frozen samples. We characterized isolates and determined their antibiotic susceptibility. Methods: Samples of raw meats commonly consumed in Hong Kong were investigated for MRSA contamination using a double-enrichment isolation method. Isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, presence of mecA, SCCmec type, staphylococcal enterotoxins, Panton–Valentin leukocidin (PVL), and spa type. Differences in rates of MRSA contamination between meat types, rearing method, locations, sources, and fresh or frozen storage were compared. Results: MRSA was recovered from 21.9% of pork samples (78/355), 6.8% chicken (31/455), and 4.4% of beef (17/380). Isolation was considerably higher from fresh pork (47%) than frozen (0.6%), whereas contamination rates in fresh (6%) and frozen (7%) chicken were similar. All strains were multidrug resistant. All contaminated fresh pork and most frozen chicken originated from China. Most isolates belonged to CC9, being SCCmec IVb and spa type t899 or closely related spa types, but one chicken sample yielded ST398. Five strains carried spa types associated with human isolates. The egc enterotoxin group was present in the majority of isolates, but PVL in only three from chicken. Conclusions: The predominance of t899 in isolates indicates that the primary source of contamination may be pig carcasses, previously demonstrated to frequently harbor CC9-positive MRSA in Hong Kong and China. The high rates of meat contamination suggest that improvements in food safety and personal hygiene guidelines may be advisable to reduce risk of spread of these MRSA strains in the community.

Influenza often causes winter and summer epidemics in subtropical regions, but few studies have investigated the difference in healthcare seeking behavior of patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) between these two epidemics. Household telephone surveys were conducted using random digit dialing in Hong Kong during July-August 2014 and March-April 2015. One adult from each household was interviewed for ILI symptoms and associated healthcare seeking behaviour of themselves and one child in the household (if any), during the preceding 30 days. Healthcare seeking behavior of respondents with self-reported ILI was compared between summer and winter influenza. Logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with healthcare seeking behavior. Among 516 and 539 adult respondents in the summer and winter surveys, 22.6 and 38.0 % reported ILI symptoms, and 40.9 and 46.8 % of them sought medical care, respectively. There was no significant difference in healthcare seeking behavior between the summer and winter epidemics, except a higher proportion of self-medication in summer in the adult respondents. Among 155 and 182 children reported by the adults in both surveys, the proportion of self-reported ILI was 32.9 and 40.1 % in the summer and winter surveys, respectively. Of these children, 47.1 and 56.2 % were brought for medical consultation in summer and winter, respectively. Women, adults with diabetes and those with symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, and runny nose were more likely to seek medical consultations for ILI symptoms. The factors associated with seeking medical consultations in children with ILI symptoms included being female, age under 10 years, and with symptoms of sore throat or vomiting. Those older than 60 years were less likely to self-medicate, whereas regular smokers and those with symptom of sore throat were more likely to do so. Healthcare seeking behavior of the general public was not significantly different between these two epidemics. However ILI was associated with increased healthcare utilization in both winter and summer epidemics in Hong Kong.

Ten methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from healthy owners and their pets were characterised by susceptibility testing, staphylococcal chromosome cassette (SCC)mec and agr typing, and detection of the Panton–Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes. Two human and three dog isolates harbouring SCCmec type III appeared to be of hospital origin. The five remaining isolates carried SCCmec type IV, with three being multidrug-resistant. One type IV isolate was PVL-positive and a prototypic agr type 3, typified by strain MW2. This is the first report of this type in association with nasal carriage. Drug resistance may be increasing among community isolates of MRSA.