Antimicrobial resistance and virulence gene profiles in P. multocida strains isolated from cats

Abstract

Cats are often described as carriers of Pasteurella multocida in their oral microbiota. This agent is thought to cause pneumonia, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, gingivostomatitis, abscess and osteonecrosis in cats. Human infection with P. multocida has been described in several cases affecting cat owners or after cat bites. In Brazil, the cat population is approximately 21 million animals and is increasing, but there are no studies of the presence of P. multocida in the feline population or of human cases of infection associated with cats. In this study, one hundred and ninety-one healthy cats from owners and shelters in São Paulo State, Brazil, were evaluated for the presence of P. multocida in their oral cavities. Twenty animals were positive for P. multocida , and forty-one strains were selected and characterized by means of biochemical tests and PCR. The P. multocida strains were tested for capsular type, virulence genes and resistance profile. A total of 75.6% (31/41) of isolates belonged to capsular type A, and 24.4% (10/41) of the isolates were untypeable. None of the strains harboured toxA, tbpA or pfhA genes. The frequencies of the other genes tested were variable, and the data generated were used to build a dendrogram showing the relatedness of strains, which were clustered according to origin. The most common resistance profile observed was against sulfizoxazole and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole.

Capsular Typing and Antibiogram Study of Pasteurella multocida Isolates of Rabbit Origin

“…In another study in Brazil 12.1% isolates were susceptible to all tested drugs, and 87.8% were resistant to at least one drug tested. Also, the resistance was more frequent to trimethoprimsulphamethoxazole (75.6%), followed by sulfizoxazole (60.9%) (Ferreira et al, 2015). Martino and Luzi (2008) observed the resistance to chloramphenicol and amikacin (85.71%), gentamicin, kanamycin and cotrimoxazole (57.1%), enrofloxacin (42.8%) and the organisms were sensitive to doxycycline (85.71%) and marbofloxacin (71.4%).…”

Zoonotic Bacteria Associated with Cats

“…12 This organism can cause opportunistic infections in cats, including pneumonia, conjunctivitis, rhinitis, gingivostomatitis, abscess and osteonecrosis. 13,14 Cat bites and scratches can result in Pasteurella infections in humans. Pasteurella species are isolated from over 75% of the cat bites .Wilson and Ho 15 and Giordano et al 12 reviewed the clinical features and outcomes of Pasteurella multocida infection in humans.…”

An Abrasion, a Prosthetic Shoulder, and a Cat with a Licking Tendency: Case Report and Literature Review of P. multocida Joint Seeding

“…Drug resistance has been noted in a number of strains infecting bovine and avian species in China [ 12 ]. P. multocida strains known to infect humans and cats have been shown to possess resistance to cotrimoxazole (75.6%), sulfisoxazole (60.9%), and penicillin (7.3%), as well as others at very low rates [ 13 ]. Furthermore, β -lactamase production has been documented as well as the presence of plasmids that are associated with resistance to various antibiotic classes including tetracyclines and aminoglycosides [ 14 ].…”

“…In our patient, a history of multiple prosthetic joints significantly elevated the risks associated with bacteremia due to her increased susceptibility to joint seeding. While most documented cases of Pasteurella bacteremia are in patients who suffered animal bites and scratches, there are documented cases in which the source of the infection was considered to be licking of an existing wound or kissing of the animal [ 3 , 4 , 13 ]. Of significant interest is the fact that the patient was taking lenalidomide at the time of hospitalization.…”