I've written about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) previously on this site. This is a pathogen that first came to our recognition almost 50 years ago, but has increased in prevalence in our hospitals over the last 20 years. In the last decade or so, it's also become more common in the community, spreading among individuals who have never had any hospital exposure. This includes, surprisingly enough, animals, both large and small. Studies have identified horses, cattle, and swine who were colonized with MRSA. Even pet animals can carry the bacterium, as a recent study exemplified:

A German woman repeatedly battled the same strain of drug-resistant superbug MRSA until her cat was tested and treated. It's one of the few documented cases of transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between a person and a cat. Nasal and other swabs from her husband and two children showed they carried the MRSA germ on skin but had no signs of infection.

We're typically closer to our pets than almost anyone else in our lives. We may sleep with them; we kiss them, or they lick our faces and hands--and they can also act as germy vectors. Again, a little handwashing can go a long way.