The multiresistant bacterium MRSA is resistant to a large group of antibiotics, including penicillin, and can cause infection in both humans and animals. It is common among pigs in many countries – but so far, Sweden has been relatively spared.
A survey by the National Veterinary Institute (SVA), in connection with an EU study, shows that MRSA is now also found among Swedish pigs. However, how common it is has not yet been established. The study will continue throughout 2025 and involves sampling at the largest slaughterhouses.
MRSA can be transmitted from animals to humans, but is not believed to spread through food. It is, however, common for an infected person to carry the bacterium without the disease breaking out.
What we see is the risk that people who work with pigs, such as on a pig farm or veterinarians, could become carriers of these bacteria, says antibiotic expert Oskar Nilsson at SVA.
If the disease breaks out, it is estimated that so few people work with pigs in Sweden that healthcare will not have major problems handling the outbreak, according to Nilsson.
Measures that may need to be taken include, for example, updated infection control routines that reduce the spread between pig farms and from animals to humans.
