Table 1. Univariable analysis of demographic (signalment) risk factors for MRSA versus MSSA infections in dogs, United States and Canada, 2001–2007*.
| Variable | MRSA, no. (%) dogs, n = 40 | MSSA, no. (%) dogs, n = 80† | Odds ratio (95% CI) | p value‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breed, kg | ||||
| Small, 1–10 | 10 (25) | 11/79 (13.9) | Ref | |
| Medium, >10–25 | 16 (40) | 28/79 (35.4) | 0.63 (0.19–2.01) | 0.43 |
| Large, >25 |
14 (35) |
40/79 (50.6) |
0.39 (0.12–1.25) |
0.10 |
| Age group, y | ||||
| <2 | 10 (25) | 13 (16.3) | Ref | |
| 3–8 | 20 (50) | 43 (53.8) | 0.63 (0.22–1.78) | 0.34 |
| >8 |
10 (25) |
24 (30) |
0.54 (0.15–1.91) |
0.39 |
| Sex | ||||
| F | 14 (35) | 36 (45) | Ref | |
| M | 26 (65) | 44 (55) | 1.47 (0.65–3.45) | 0.35 |
*MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MSSA, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus; CI, confidence interval; Ref, referent category. Dogs with MRSA (case-patients) and MSSA (controls) infections were matched for veterinary referral hospital and date of admission. †Except as indicated. ‡Score method for estimating p values does not assume a symmetrical distribution for discrete data. p<0.05 was considered significant.