Faecal carriage, risk factors, acquisition and persistence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in dogs and cats and co-carriage with humans belonging to the same household

Abstract

Background ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are observed in many reservoirs. Pets might play an important role in the dissemination of ESBL-E to humans since they live closely together. Objectives To identify prevalence, risk factors, molecular characteristics, persistence and acquisition of ESBL-E in dogs and cats, and co-carriage in human–pet pairs belonging to the same household. Methods In a nationwide study, one person per household was randomly invited to complete a questionnaire and to submit a faecal sample. Dog and cat owners were invited to also submit a faecal sample from their pet. Repeated sampling after 1 and 6 months was performed in a subset. ESBL-E were obtained through selective culture and characterized by WGS. Logistic regression analyses and random forest models were performed to identify risk factors. Results The prevalence of ESBL-E carriage in these cohorts was 3.8% (95% CI: 2.7%–5.4%) for human participants (n=550), 10.7% (95% CI: 8.3%–13.7%) for dogs (n=555) and 1.4% (95% CI: 0.5%–3.8%) for cats (n=285). Among animals, blaCTX-M-1 was most abundant, followed by blaCTX-M-15. In dogs, persistence of carriage was 57.1% at 1 month and 42.9% at 6 months. Eating raw meat [OR: 8.8, 95% CI: 4.7–16.4; population attributable risk (PAR): 46.5%, 95% CI: 41.3%–49.3%] and dry food (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1–0.5; PAR: 56.5%, 95% CI: 33.2%–66.6%) were predictors for ESBL-E carriage in dogs. Human–dog co-carriage was demonstrated in five households. Human–cat co-carriage was not observed. Conclusions ESBL-E prevalence was higher in dogs than in humans and lowest in cats. The main risk factor for ESBL-E carriage was eating raw meat. Co-carriage in dogs and household members was uncommon.

Low occurrence of extended-spectrum cephalosporinase producing Enterobacteriaceae and no detection of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci in healthy dogs in Sweden

“…However, a Dutch study conducted in 2014-2016 used similar methods as the current study and they found that 10.6% of the 555 dogs carried ESBL-E [4]. In addition, they also reported that 3.8% of the owners were carriers, which was slightly lower than the 4.5% prevalence rate reported from the Dutch general population [4,14]. The carriage rate in Dutch citizens is comparable to 4.7% reported from Sweden in 2013 [15], so it is interesting to note the large difference between carriage rates in Dutch and Swedish dogs.…”

“…Three out of 325 dogs were found to carry ESBL-EC (0.9%; 95% confident interval 0.3-2.7% using Wilson Score interval) ( Table 1). The prevalence of ESBL-E in Swedish dogs was lower than that reported from other European countries [2][3][4][5], but more in-depth comparisons are difficult to make because of general application of different methodologies. However, a Dutch study conducted in 2014-2016 used similar methods as the current study and they found that 10.6% of the 555 dogs carried ESBL-E [4].…”

“…The prevalence of ESBL-E in Swedish dogs was lower than that reported from other European countries [2][3][4][5], but more in-depth comparisons are difficult to make because of general application of different methodologies. However, a Dutch study conducted in 2014-2016 used similar methods as the current study and they found that 10.6% of the 555 dogs carried ESBL-E [4]. In addition, they also reported that 3.8% of the owners were carriers, which was slightly lower than the 4.5% prevalence rate reported from the Dutch general population [4,14].…”

“…In previous European studies, being fed raw meat and/or raw pet food was a risk factor for ESBL/pAmpC-E carriage in dogs [4,5]. In addition, the bla CTX-M-1 , carried on incI1 or incK plasmids are frequently identified in the European dog population, which is also common in the European poultry production [2][3][4]17].…”

“…In Copenhagen, Denmark, 1.9% of dogs' faecal deposits in public gardens were positive for ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) and in Paris, France, 18.5% of dogs carried ESBL-EC, while 81.8% of dogs carried ESBL-EC in Faisalabad, Pakistan [1][2][3]. Other nationwide studies reported ESBL/pAmpC-E carriage rates of 9.0% in United Kingdom and 22.2% in Turkey, while in the Netherlands, 10.6% of dogs were reported to carry ESBL-E [4][5][6]. Occurrence of MRCPS in dogs generally appears to be lower with reports around 0-3% positive dogs [7][8][9][10].…”