Campylobacteriosis in dogs and cats: a review

Abstract

Campylobacter species are commonly isolated from faecal samples collected from dogs and cats, with the most prevalent species being C. upsaliensis, C. helveticus, and C. jejuni. Although the majority of dogs and cats are subclinically infected, some will develop mild to moderate enteritis. Immature animals, animals from intensive housing backgrounds, and animals with concurrent disease are especially predisposed to infection and the development of clinical signs. Bacterial culture methods applied in diagnostic laboratories remain biased to C. jejuni and C. coli detection, but molecular methods to diagnose Campylobacter spp. infections in dogs and cats have become widely available and can aid rapid and accurate diagnosis. Multilocus sequence typing has also been developed for subtyping different strains and has been used in epidemiological investigations. In the majority of cases, clinical signs are self-limiting and antimicrobial treatment is not warranted. Campylobacter spp. isolated from dogs and cats have shown resistance to commonly used antimicrobials, so antimicrobial therapy should only be administered where this is justified. Contact with dogs and cats is a recognised risk factor for human campylobacteriosis, thus people living or working in close contact with cats and dogs should be made aware of the zoonotic organisms these animals can shed.

Ciprofloxacin resistance among Campylobacter jejuni isolates obtained from shelter dogs in Texas

“…Although most canine Campylobacter infections are subclinical (Weese, ), C. jejuni and potentially other species can also cause enteric disease in dogs (Acke, ; Marks et al, ; Sokolow et al, ). Nevertheless, four of the seven dogs shedding C. jejuni had grossly normal faeces at the time of sampling.…”

“…Campylobacter upsaliensis was the predominant species identified in culture‐positive dogs, a finding consistent with other studies (Acke et al, ; Leonard et al, ; Parsons et al, ; Procter et al, ). Campylobacter upsaliensis is considered a possible causes of canine enteric disease, but its pathogenic potential in dogs has not been fully characterized (Acke, ).…”

“…Campylobacter jejuni is the species most commonly associated with human disease and is also the most frequent aetiology of canine campylobacteriosis (Campagnolo, Philipp, Long, & Hanshaw, ; Sokolow et al, ). Clinical signs occur more commonly in puppies vs. adult dogs, and these may include diarrhoea, lethargy, anorexia, and occasionally fever and vomiting (Acke, ; Marks, Rankin, Byrne, & Weese, ). Dogs can also serve as reservoirs of additional species, mainly Campylobacter upsaliensis, Campylobacter helveticus , and Campylobacter lari (Bojanic et al, ; Giacomelli, Follador, Coppola, Martini, & Piccirillo, ; Holmberg, Rosendal, Engvall, Ohlson, & Lindberg, ).…”

Köpek ve Kedilerden Thermofilik Campylobacter İzolasyonu ve Moleküler Karakterizasyonu

“…The vast majority of human infections were attributed to consumption of contaminated poultry meat [1] . However, repeated contact with dogs and cats has also been identified as an important source of Campylobacter infection to their owners [2][3][4] , and human infections originating from pet animals have been reported [5] . Dogs and cats are mostly subclinical hosts of Campylobacter spp., infected mainly by C. helveticus, C. upsaliensis, C. jejuni and C. coli [6,7] .…”

“…Dogs and cats are mostly subclinical hosts of Campylobacter spp., infected mainly by C. helveticus, C. upsaliensis, C. jejuni and C. coli [6,7] . However, gastroenteritis cases related with these agents have also been reported in dogs and cats [4] . The most of Campylobacter infections are self-limited and do not require antimicrobial treatment, however, in severe cases, fluoroquinolones (FQ) and macrolides are drug of choise used for the treatment of clinical campylobacteriosis.…”