Review: MRSA transmission between pets and humans on the rise
MRSA infections transmitted between dogs/cats and their human handlers, and vice-versa, are increasing, according to a review in the July edition of The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The review, written by Dr. Richard Oehler, University of South Florida College of Medicine, and colleagues, discussed bite-related and septic syndromes caused by cats and dogs. As community-acquired strains of MRSA increase in prevalence, a growing body of clinical evidence has documented MRSA colonisation in domestic animals, often implying direct acquisition of S aureus infection from human owners. MRSA colonisation has been documented in companion animals such as horses, dogs, and cats, and these animals have been viewed as potential reservoirs of infection. MRSA-related skin infections of pets seem to occur in various manifestations and can easily spread to owners. “Pet owners are often unaware of the potential for transmission of life-threatening pathogens from their canine and feline companions,” the authors said. “Bite injuries are a major cause of injury in the [United States] and Europe each year, particularly in children. Bites to the hands, forearms, neck, and head have the potential for the highest morbidity. Clinicians must continue to promote loving pet ownership, take an adequate pet history, and be aware that associated diseases are preventable via recognition, education, and simple precautions.”

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health launches campaign to support the Afya Serengeti rabies control program and World Rabies Day
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced that it is encouraging children of employees to design a World Rabies Day 2009 T-shirt. Proceeds from the sales of this specially designed T-shirt will be donated to the global rabies campaign.
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has been supporting the Afya Serengeti project in Tanzania since 2003, donating hundreds of thousands of doses of rabies vaccine each year as well as by helping to fund-raise for World Rabies Day. Rabies kills approximately 100 children each day. Including adults, the annual death toll for this horrible disease rises to more than 55,000.
Afya Serengeti started as a research project in 1997 led by Dr. Sarah Cleaveland from the Centre of Tropical Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and developed into a major rabies control program that works with local people in the Serengeti in Tanzania to ensure widespread vaccination of domestic dogs. To extend the efforts to eradicate rabies on a global scale, World Rabies Day aims to raise awareness of the impact of human and animal rabies, how easy it is to prevent, and how to eliminate the main global sources of the disease.
Peter Oostenbach, responsible for global sponsoring at Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and heading the international T-shirt campaign, said: “We really believe in these initiatives and have supported them globally for a number of years now. The Afya Serengeti initiative is a clear example of how vaccination can work to eradicate disease and save lives.”
For more information about the campaigns, visit www.afya.org and www.worldrabiesday.org.

FTC requests more information for proposed Merck and Schering-Plough Merger
Merck & Co., Inc., and Schering-Plough Corp., announced that they each have received a request for additional information from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with respect to their previously announced proposed merger. The request for information from the FTC, often referred to as a “second request,” was anticipated as part of the regulatory process under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act). Merck and Schering-Plough intend to cooperate fully with the FTC to obtain approval of the transaction as expeditiously as possible. The transaction is subject to approval by Merck and Schering-Plough shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the HSR Act, as amended, as well as clearance by the European Commission under the EC Merger Regulation and certain other foreign jurisdictions. Until the merger closes, both companies will continue to operate independently, they announced. Merck and Schering-Plough continue to expect the transaction to close during the fourth quarter of 2009.

EP case reported in Missouri
The World Organization for Animal Health reported on June 11 an outbreak of equine piroplasmosis in Jackson County, Mo., according to Veterinary Practice News. The last reported occurrence was in February 2009. EP is a tick-borne disease that affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras. The disease, caused by Theileria equi, is transmitted via tick bites or through mechanical transmission by improperly disinfected needles or surgical instruments, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The affected horse showed clinical signs consistent with EP on June 1 and was placed in quarantine and isolation. The source was unknown. The horse and other animals on the affected premises (63 including horses, ponies and mules) were examined for ticks. No ticks were found, according to the OIE report. Test results for the other animals are pending, and the premises remains under quarantine, the article said.

Report says price sensitive pet owners shifting to OTC pet pharmaceuticals
A new report from life science market research publisher Kalorama Information, World Veterinary Health Products (Animal Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines, OTC and Performance Enhancers), said that price sensitivity and an improved distribution network are leading many pet owners to forgo visiting the vet in favor of purchasing OTC products directly.
The high cost of prescription drugs is creating more price sensitive customers who are being driven to OTC brands, a trend amplified by the current recession. Also, the rising demand for pet nutraceuticals, including anti-parasitics and products for treating joint mobility, is fueling growth on the OTC front, the report said. Kalorama estimates the $4.9 billion market for OTC products to grow 5.2 percent annually through 2014.
“While manufacturers’ current product lines continue to generate revenue, they are finding that sales by veterinarians are decreasing as consumers shift to alternate sales channels and OTC products,” said Kalorama Information Publisher Bruce Carlson. “Part of the reason is the economy, but it’s also because it’s been made easy for consumers. They can buy OTC products on the Internet, or in pet stores, supermarkets and other superstores, which is leading to price erosion and commoditization.”

Pelstar names Jele as director of marketing
Alsip, Ill.-based Pelstar LLC, maker of the Health o meter® Professional scales, named Lynne Jele as director of marketing, to lead global brand and product development. Jele has 10 years of marketing leadership experience in a variety of high-visibility roles, with progressive marketing responsibility.