Abstract
There is a lack of an established antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance system in animal welfare centers. Therefore, the AMR prevalence in shelter dogs is rarely known. Herein, we conducted a survey in animal shelters in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, in the Kanto Region, Japan, to ascertain the AMR status of Escherichia coli (E. coli) prevalent in shelter dogs. E. coli was detected in the fecal samples of all 61 and 77 shelter dogs tested in Chiba and Kanagawa, respectively. The AMR was tested against 20 antibiotics. E. coli isolates derived from 16.4% and 26.0% of samples from Chiba and Kanagawa exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic, respectively. E. coli in samples from Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures were commonly resistant to ampicillin, piperacillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid; that from the Kanagawa Prefecture to cefazolin, cefotaxime, aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin and that from Chiba Prefecture to chloramphenicol and imipenem. Multidrug-resistant bacteria were detected in 18 dogs from both regions; β-lactamase genes (blaTEM, blaDHA-1, blaCTX-M-9 group CTX-M-14), quinolone-resistance protein genes (qnrB and qnrS), and mutations in quinolone-resistance-determining regions (gyrA and parC) were detected. These results could partially represent the AMR data in shelter dogs in the Kanto Region of Japan.
Highlights
Companion animals may be reservoirs and spillover hosts for resistant b acteria[1,2,3,4,5], raising concerns of health risks posed by resistant bacteria harbored by companion animals to humans[6,7,8,9]
The following 20 antibiotics were selected for monitoring drug resistance in E. coli: ampicillin (ABPC), piperacillin (PIPC), tazobactam/piperacillin (TAZ/PIPC), cefazolin (CEZ), cefmetazole (CMZ), cefotaxime (CTX), ceftazidime (CAZ), cefepime (CFPM), aztreonam (AZT), imipenem (IPM), meropenem (MEPM), streptomycin (SM), kanamycin (KM), gentamicin (GM), amikacin (AMK), tetracycline (TC), ciprofloxacin (CPFX), levofloxacin (LVFX), nalidixic acid (NA), and chloramphenicol (CP)
The MAFF survey included dogs taken to a veterinary hospital in 2017 and 2018, which overlaps with our survey period (2016–2017)
Summary
Companion animals may be reservoirs and spillover hosts for resistant b acteria[1,2,3,4,5], raising concerns of health risks posed by resistant bacteria harbored by companion animals to humans[6,7,8,9]. The report included the following aims: (a) monitoring AMR and administration of antimicrobial drugs, (b) identification of indicators of change in drug resistance, and (c) further expansion and development of the action plan. To accomplish these aims, AMR surveillance in several different fields is required, including human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry, and wild animal populations. In Japan, public and large-scale AMR surveys in livestock and human medicine are ongoing, including the Japanese Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (JVARM) managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF), and the Japan Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (JANIS) managed by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. These results will make up for the lack of AMR data in shelter dogs in Japan
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
