Dataset Information

Duration of carriage of multidrug-resistant bacteria in dogs and cats in veterinary care and co-carriage with their owners.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) represent a threat to human and animal health.

Objectives

To assess duration of carriage of MDROs in dogs and cats presented to veterinary clinics/hospitals in Switzerland. To estimate prevalence, duration of and risk factors for MDRO carriage in their owners and the occurrence of co-carriage in owner-pet pairs.

Methods

Prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Nasal swabs and fecal samples were collected from 50 owners of dogs and cats presented to 3 large veterinary hospitals, 1 medium-sized clinic and 1 practice. If pet or owner tested positive for a MDRO, follow-up samples were collected for up to 8 months. Methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus, MR S. pseudintermedius, MR coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS), MR Macrococcus spp., cephalosporinase- and carbapenemase-producing (CP) Enterobacterales were isolated and further characterized by MALDI-TOF MS, microdilution, β-lactam resistance gene detection, REP/ERIC-PCR, multilocus sequence typing or whole-genome sequencing. Risk factors for MDRO carriage in owners were explored based on questionnaire-derived data.

Results

Five out of 50 owners carried 3rd generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GC-R-Ent.), and 5/50 MRCoNS. In 3 dogs and 4 cats carriage of 3GC-R-Ent. persisted for up to 136 days after discharge (median 99 days, IQR 83 days, range 36-136 days), in two cats isolates were carbapenem-resistant. Owner-pet co-carriage was not observed. No specific risk factors for MDRO carriage in owners were identified.

Conclusions

After discharge from veterinary care, dogs and cats may carry 3GC-R-Ent. for prolonged time periods. Carriage of MDROs was common in owners, but pet-owner co-carriage of the same MDRO was not observed.

SUBMITTER: Dazio V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8424212 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Little is known about the cat's (Felis silvestris catus) need for human contact, although it is generally believed that cats are more independent pets than e.g. dogs. In this study, we investigated the effect of time left alone at home on cat behaviour (e.g. social and distress-related) before, during and after separation from their owner. Fourteen privately owned cats (single-housed) were each subjected to two treatments: the cat was left alone in their home environment for 30 min (T0.5) and for 4 h (T4). There were no differences between treatments in the behaviour of the cat (or owner) before owner departure, nor during the first 5 min of separation. During separation, cats were lying down resting proportionally less (T = 22.5, P = 0.02) in T0.5 (0.27±0.1 (mean±SE)) compared to in T4 (0.58±0.08), probably due to a similar duration of higher activity early in the separation phase in both treatments. Comparisons of the time interval (min 20-25) in both treatments indicated no differences across treatments, which supports such an explanation. Towards the end of the separation phase (the last two 5-min intervals of separation in both treatments), no differences were observed in the cats' behaviour, indicating that cats were unaffected by separation length. At reunion however, cats purred more (T = 10.5, P = 0.03) and stretched their body more (T = 17, P = 0.04) after a longer duration of separation (T4:0.05±0.02; 0.03±0.01; T0.5: 0.01±0.007; 0.008±0.003). Also, owners initiated more verbal contact (T = 33.5, P = 0.04) after 4 h (0.18±0.05) compared to after 30 min (0.12±0.03). There was no evidence of any correlations between the level of purring or body stretching by the cat and verbal contact by the owner implying that the behavioural expressions seen in the cats are independent of the owner's behaviour. Hence, it seemed as cats coped well with being left alone, but they were affected by the time they were left alone, since they expressed differences in behaviour when the owner returned home. The increased level of social contact initiated by the cats after a longer duration of separation indicates a rebound of contact-seeking behaviour, implying that the owner is an important part of the cat's social environment.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Periodontal disease remains one of the dog's most common health issues, even though it is largely preventable by tooth brushing. Implementation of daily tooth brushing would not only improve animal welfare, but also reduce veterinary costs for the owner. There is a paucity of studies investigating attitudes, opinions and practices of dog owners, veterinarians, and veterinary nurses regarding preventative dental home care in dogs. The objective of this study was to investigate these parameters in Sweden, thereby providing a basis for improved prophylactic strategies. METHODS:Validated questionnaire surveys were distributed to all Swedish dog owners (n?=?209,263), veterinarians (n?=?3657) and veterinary nurses (n?=?1650) with e-mail addresses in the national registry. The response rates were 32% for dog owners and veterinarians, and 38% for veterinary nurses. The survey questions concerned attitudes, opinions and practices regarding dental home care, including whether dog owners received information concerning dental home care or not, and if this information resulted in implementation. RESULTS:Attitudes, opinions and practices regarding dental home care are presented for Swedish dog owners, veterinarians, and veterinary nurses. A fundamental finding was that the absolute majority of Swedish dog owners do not perform adequate prophylactic dental home care. Considerable discrepancies were identified in the opinions of veterinary health practitioners and dog owners regarding attitudes towards dental home care and conveying of information. Several areas for improvement in the communication between dog owners and veterinary health practitioners concerning dental home care were identified. CONCLUSION:Our results illustrates the need for validated methods to increase dog owner compliance with dental home care recommendations. We also see a need of further education, regarding canine dental home care, among veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and dog owners. The results from this unique study constitute an important foundation for future development of prophylactic strategies, with the ultimate goal to improve dental health, and thereby animal welfare, in dogs.