Summary of Antibiotic-Resistant “Superbugs” Are Being Passed Between Dogs and Cats and Their Owners:
Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health threat worldwide, killing an estimated 700,000 people annually, and it is projected to rise to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken. A European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases study has found evidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria transmission between pet cats and dogs and their owners in the UK and Portugal. Researchers found similar antibiotic-resistant bacteria in six pets in Portugal and one in the UK and their respective owners, highlighting the importance of including pet-owning households to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. To minimize the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria, pet owners should practice good hygiene, including washing their hands after handling their pets and waste.
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Study Reveals Transmission of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Between Pets and Owners
The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) recently presented a study highlighting the transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria between pet cats, dogs, and their owners in the UK and Portugal. Researchers found that six pets in Portugal and one in the UK carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria similar to those in their owners. The study’s results emphasize the need to incorporate households with pets to minimize the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Antibiotic Resistance: A Global Public Health Concern
Antibiotic resistance is increasingly becoming a serious public health threat worldwide, with drug-resistant infections causing an estimated 700,000 deaths yearly. If left unchecked, fatalities could soar to 10 million annually by 2050. The World Health Organization identifies antibiotic resistance as one of humanity’s most significant public health threats.
Pets and Antimicrobial Resistance
Pets, including cats and dogs, can contribute significantly to the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections that can lead to human diseases. Considering this, Juliana Menezes and her colleagues from the Antibiotic Resistance Lab at the Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal, wanted to determine if pets receiving antibiotics for infections were transmitting pathogens to their respective owners. The study focused on fecal samples collected from dogs, cats, and their human infectors for Enterobacterales resistant to common antibiotics.
Five cats, 38 dogs, and 78 humans from 43 households in Portugal and seven dogs and eight from seven homes in the UK were tested. The study concentrated on Enterobacterales-resistant third-generation cephalosporins (widely used to treat meningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis) and carbapenems (used as a last resort when other antibiotics have failed).
Results of the Study
One dog in Portugal was colonized by a strain of multidrug-resistant OXA-181-producing Escherichia coli, known to confer resistance to carbapenems. In Portugal, 3 cats and 21 dogs (24/43 pets, 55.8%) and 28 owners (28/78, 35.9%) carried ESBL/Amp-C producing Enterobacterales. ESBL/Amp-C-producing Enterobacterales were isolated from five dogs (5/7, 71.4%) and three owners (3/8, 37.5%) in the UK. One dog in the UK was colonized by multidrug-resistant E. coli producing NDM-5 and CTX-M-15 beta-lactamases, resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, and many other families of antibiotics.
In eight households, two houses with cats and six with dogs, both the pet and owner carried ESBL/AmpC-producing bacteria. In six of these homes, the DNA of the bacteria isolated from the pets (one cat and five dogs) and their owners were similar, indicating that the bacteria may have been passed between them. It’s unclear whether the bacteria were transferred from the pet to the owner or vice versa.
The Importance of Hygiene in Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance
As highlighted by Ms. Menezes, pet owners can prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria by regularly washing their hands, especially after handling their pet and their waste. The findings of this study support incorporating households with pets in initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance.
This study’s results underscore the need for pet owners to engage in good hygiene practices to minimize the spread of antimicrobial resistance. By doing so, pet owners may contribute significantly to reducing the transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria and promote public health.
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