This is suggested by new research presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen.
When we hear of antibiotic resistance, or more simply of antibiotic resistant bacteria, we probably all know that the continuous and inappropriate use of these drugs in human and veterinary medicine is exerting selective pressure, favoring the emergence, multiplication and spread of resistant strains. However, we are not always aware of the impact of this phenomenon in our daily lives, believing that the problem is mostly confined to hospital environments and healthcare facilities, where a number of factors – including crowding, widespread use of antibiotics and low hygiene thresholds – drive the occurrence and spread of infections caused by these dangerous microorganisms.
However, new research, presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) 2023 in Copenhagen, has highlighted that part of these infections may be due to the transmission of resistant bacteria by dogs and cats that live with us in the houseapparently healthy but potential reservoir of what experts call multi-drug resistant organisms (multidrug-resistant organismMDRO).
These bacteria, which include some of the most common resistant strains in nosocomial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria (CRE) and third-generation cephalosporins ( 3GCRE), are a growing concern around the world, because they are resistant to multiple antibiotics – including penicillin and cephalosporins – designed to kill them. The most recent estimates, published on The Lancetindicate that infections caused by antimicrobial resistant bacteria in 2019 caused almost 1.3 million deaths worldwide and that, in the same year, approximately 5 million deaths globally are associated with antimicrobial resistance.
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House dogs and cats can transmit resistant bacteria to their owners
To find out how pets in the home affect owners’ infections with resistant bacteria, a research team from the Charité University Hospital in Berlin conducted a survey on more than 2,800 patients hospitalized between June 2019 and September 2022 at the German hospital and on the dogs and cats that lived in their families. “Our results confirm that sharing of multi-drug resistant organisms between companion animals and their owners is possiblesaid Dr Carolin Hackmann who coordinated the study.
For the analysis, the researchers collected a series of swabs and used genetic sequencing to identify both the bacterial species in each sample and the presence of drug resistance genes in the microorganisms. Whole genome sequencing also showed the possible sharing of resistant bacteria. Study participants were also asked about risk factors for drug resistancesuch as recent infections with resistant bacteria, use of antibiotics, recent hospital stays and the presence of urinary or central catheters, as well as the number of dogs and cats in the house, the proximity of the contact and the health status of the pets themselves.
The survey indicated that, overall, 30% of patients admitted to hospital tested positive for multi-resistant bacteria, of which 11% were dog owners and 9% cat owners. On the other hand, analysis of swabs from pets indicated that 15% of dogs and 5% of cats were positive for at least one multidrug-resistant bacterium and, in four cases, the strain matched that of their owners (same species and same antibiotic resistance).
Whole genome sequencing confirmed that only one of the matched pairs was genetically identical in a dog and its owner. The pathogen was l’Escherichia coli third generation cephalosporin resistant (3GCRE).
“Despite the low level of sharing of the same strain between hospital patients and their pets, the carriers of these bacteria they can spread them in their environment for months and can be a source of infection for other more vulnerable people in the hospital, such as those with weak immune systemsDr. Hackmann added, noting that as this was an observational study, the investigation did not directly show that close contact with pets caused the transfer of resistant bacteria to humans.
In other words, while suggesting the possibility of sharing, the results they do not clarify the direction of the transfer (from pets to owners, or vice versa). At the same time, the few identified cases suggest that “neither the possession of cats nor dogs is an important risk factor for the colonization of multi-resistant organisms in hospital patients” the expert specified, however taking into account that such an incidence may not be representative of the general population or high-risk group, such as animal breeders.