Abstract
Feeding pets raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) is becoming increasingly popular but comes with a risk of pathogenic bacteria, including Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). In humans, STEC may cause gastrointestinal illnesses, including diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis (HC), and the hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The aim of this study was to evaluate commercially available RMBDs with regard to the occurrence of STEC. Of 59 RMBD samples, 59% tested positive by real-time PCR for the presence of Shiga toxin genes stx1 and/or stx2. STECs were recovered from 41% of the 59 samples, and strains were subjected to serotyping and virulence gene profiling, using whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based methods. Of 28 strains, 29% carried stx2a or stx2d, which are linked to STEC with high pathogenic potential. Twenty different serotypes were identified, including STEC O26:H11, O91:H10, O91:H14, O145:H28, O146:H21, and O146:H28, which are within the most common non-O157 serogroups associated with human STEC-related illnesses worldwide. Considering the low infectious dose and potential severity of disease manifestations, the high occurrence of STEC in RMBDs poses an important health risk for persons handling raw pet food and persons with close contact to pets fed on RMBDs, and is of concern in the field of public health.
Highlights
Feeding companion animals raw meat has become increasingly popular among cat and dog owners aiming to provide their pets with a natural and healthy diet [1,2]
Enterobacteriaceae are the most frequently recovered bacteria from commercially available Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), with a high proportion of sampled RMBDs failing to meet the microbiological standards set out by EC regulation no.1069/2009 in the EU for animal by-products intended for pet food, or the threshold levels for raw human meat products which apply in North America [2,7,8,9]
RMBDs containing stx genes were detected in products from nine of ten suppliers (Figure 2)
Summary
Feeding companion animals raw meat has become increasingly popular among cat and dog owners aiming to provide their pets with a natural and healthy diet [1,2]. Since RMBDs are not cooked or pasteurized, concerns have been raised regarding bacterial contamination and the possible transmission of pathogens to pets and humans [5,6,7]. Enterobacteriaceae are the most frequently recovered bacteria from commercially available RMBDs, with a high proportion of sampled RMBDs failing to meet the microbiological standards set out by EC regulation no.1069/2009 in the EU for animal by-products intended for pet food, or the threshold levels for raw human meat products which apply in North America [2,7,8,9]. Escherichia coli (STEC) were identified in 4% of commercially available RMBDs in the US [10], and contaminated RMBDs have been associated with an outbreak of human STEC infections in the UK [11]. STECs are characterized by the proliferation of one or two different types of Shiga toxin encoded by stx genes designated
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