Rabbit has MRSA

Question
Dana-

Any advice on a 4 year old rabbit that has been diagnosed with MRSA?  Maybe something alternative??  Any idea on how she might have gotten MRSA?  Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information on the web.  She has been a very healthy rabbit up until this diagnosis.

Thanks
Pamela

Answer
Dear Pamela

MRSA is a bad bug, and seems to be ready to mutate at a sneeze.  Use of broad-spectrum antibiotics to fight MRSA has pushed the evolution of MRSA that are resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, from fluoroquinolones (which used to be a first line of defense against them) to aminoglycosides (which can be hard on the kidneys, anyway).

That said, if your bunny's culture identified MRSA, did it also identify any rabbit-safe antibiotics to which your strain is sensitive?  If the MRSA are causing clinical signs, then ask the vet about trying the antibiotic that--according to the culture--will be most effective against it.  That won't guarantee there aren't some resistant mutants in the system.  But unless you want to stick to herbal remedies that (supposedly) boost the immune system (e.g. echinacea extract, maitake mushroom powders), then you don't have much choice.  If you want to try herbal remedies, then be sure to discuss it with your vet, since they can have unpredictable interactions with other medications and supplements.

You don't mention *where* the MRSA were isolated, which can make a difference in the available treatments.  


Dana