Abstract
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) among animals and humans are a public health threat. This study analyzed the occurrence of ESBL-E in a high-risk environment in a companion animal clinic and two animal patients’ households. In an intensive care unit (ICU), rectal swabs from 74 dogs and cats, 74 hand swabs from staff and 298 swabs from surfaces were analyzed for ESBL-E. Seventeen hospitalized patients (23%) and ten (3%) surfaces in the ICU tested ESBL-E positive. Transmission chains for Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 blaCTX-M-15 and Escherichia coli ST38 blaCTX-M-14, ST88 blaCTX-M-14 and ST224 blaCTX-M-1 were observed over extended periods of time (14 to 30 days) with similar strains isolated from patients and the clinical environment. After discharge, two colonized dogs (dogs 7 and 12) and their household contacts were resampled. Dog 7 tested repeatedly positive for 77 days, dog 12 tested negative; six (24%) surfaces in the household of the persistently colonized dog tested ESBL-E positive. The owner of dog 7 and one of the owners of dog 12 were colonized. Based on whole genome sequencing, isolates from the owners, their dogs and other ICU patients belonged to the same clusters, highlighting the public health importance of ESBL-E in companion animal clinics.
Highlights
Antimicrobial resistance in companion animals is of public health importance because of the close contact between pets and their owners, which can facilitate the transmission of resistant bacteria [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
A total of 91 rectal swab specimens from 49 dogs and 25 cats hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU), and 298 specimens from 25 predefined high–touch surfaces and from 74 hands from healthcare workers in the ICU were collected at regular intervals on 12 sampling days over a 45-day period
K. pneumoniae ST307 blaCTX-M-15 predominated in the ICU, on day 22 where Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) contamination of the ICU was most extensive (Figure 1, Table S1)
Summary
Antimicrobial resistance in companion animals is of public health importance because of the close contact between pets and their owners, which can facilitate the transmission of resistant bacteria [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. The spread of ARM, such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E), challenges human and veterinary healthcare settings worldwide and poses a public health threat [25]. In addition to their plasmid-mediated resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins, ESBL-E are often resistant to antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim [26]. In a recently published study, 21.4% of dogs and cats carried ESBL-E on admission to veterinary hospitals, whereas 53.7% were colonized after 72 h of hospitalization [27] This points towards an important role of companion animal clinics in the transmission of ESBL-E [1,10,11,12,13,30]. The impact of colonized patients for ESBL-E dissemination in the households after discharge is unclear
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