Dogs and cats may transmit antibiotic-resistant superbugs, says study

2023-04-21 21:28:19

According to a study presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), Healthy dogs and cats could be transmitting antibiotic-resistant bacteria to their ownersas well as genes that play a key role in the bacterial resistance.

The study was carried out by Dr. Juliana Menezes, from the University of Lisbon (Portugal), and Dr. Sian Frosini, from the Royal Veterinary College (UK), and their colleagues.

“Our findings verify not only the sharing of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, but also of resistance genes between pets and their owners in the community, underscoring the need for ongoing local surveillance programs to identify potential health risk.” human being,” says Dr. Menezes, from the University of Lisbon.

antibiotic resistance

The role of companion animals as potential hosts for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is a growing concern around the world. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are common in the intestines of healthy people and animals.

There are several different types, and while most are harmless, some superbacterias They can cause severe food poisoning and life-threatening infections, including blood poisoning, with over 40,000 cases a year in England alone.

Especially important are infections caused by strains that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, including penicillin and cephalosporins.

In this study, the researchers wanted to find out how these resistant bacteria are spread and whether there is cross-transmission between healthy companion animals (ie, dogs and cats) and their owners.

The study

For the study, animals and their owners were recruited who had not suffered from bacterial infections or taken antibiotics in the three months prior to the start of the study.

Thus, stool samples were collected from 58 healthy people and from the 18 cats and 40 dogs that lived with them in 41 households in Portugal, and from 56 healthy people and 45 dogs from 42 households in the United Kingdom.

Samples were collected at monthly intervals for four months and genetic sequencing was used to identify both the species of bacteria in each sample and the presence of drug resistance genes.

The researchers used Rep-PCR, a quick and easy molecular fingerprinting technique that helps identify related bacterial strains.

Between 2018 and 2020, 15 of 103 pets (15%; 1 cat and 14 dogs) and 15 of 114 (13%) household members in both countries were found to carry antibiotic-resistant enzyme-producing bacteria (cephalosporins).

Of these, almost half of the dogs and cats (6 in Portugal and 1 in the United Kingdom) and a third of the family members (4 in Portugal and 1 in the United Kingdom) were colonized by at least one multiresistant strain. .

In four Portuguese households, the resistance genes found in the pets matched those found in their owners’ stool samples, suggesting a persistent colonization of shared bacteria.

In addition, in two of the homes, microbes from the pets matched the E. coli strains found in their owners’ stool samples, but in the other two there was no evidence of shared bacteria.

“Sometimes bacteria may not share, but their resistance genes do,” explains Dr. Menezes. “These genes are found on mobile fragments of DNA, which means they can be transferred between different bacterial populations in animals and humans.”