Infrequent intrahousehold transmission of Clostridioides difficile between pet owners and their pets

Abstract

Companion animals have been shown to carry Clostridioides difficile strains that are similar or identical to strains found in people, and a small number of studies have shown that pets carry genetically identical C. difficile isolates as their owners, suggesting inter‐species transmission. However, the directionality of transmission is ultimately unknown, and the frequency with which animals acquire C. difficile following their owners' infection is unclear. The goal of this study was to assess how often pets belonging to people with C. difficile infection carry genetically related C. difficile isolates. We enrolled pet owners from two medical institutions (University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC)) who had diarrhoea with or without positive C. difficile assays and tested their faeces and their pets' faeces for C. difficile using both anaerobic culture and PCR assays. When microorganisms were obtained from both the owner and pet and had the same toxin profile or ribotype, isolates underwent genomic sequencing. Faecal samples were obtained from a total of 59 humans, 72 dogs and 9 cats, representing 47 complete households (i.e. where a sample was available from the owner and at least one pet). Of these, C. difficile was detected in 30 humans, 10 dogs and 0 cats. There were only two households where C. difficile was detected in both the owner and pet. In one of these households, the C. difficile isolates were of different toxin profiles/ribotypes (A+/B+ / RT 499 from the owner, A‐/B‐ / RT PR22386 from the dog). In the other household, the isolates were genetically identical (one SNP difference). Interestingly, the dog from this household had recently received a course of antibiotics (cefpodoxime and metronidazole). Our findings suggest that inter‐species transmission of C. difficile occurs infrequently in households with human C. difficile infections.

Characterization of the Gut Microbiome in Healthy Dogs and Dogs with Diabetes Mellitus

“…However, the causal relationship between CDI and canine enteric diseases has not yet been fully elucidated [42], although there are indications that it could be a possible causative agent of chronic diarrhea [42][43][44][45]. Additionally, it is important to note that zoonotic transmission of C. difficile between pets and their owners can occur due to frequent interactions (e.g., licking and petting) and sharing of living environments [46]. As a result, veterinarians should consider gut dysbiosis in the clinical management of diabetic dogs, and gut microbiome testing may serve as a useful tool to detect increased susceptibility to CDI in canines with diabetes mellitus.…”

Genomic Analysis of Clostridioides difficile Recovered from Horses in Western Australia

“…Carriage of C. difficile has been reported widely in mammals, birds, reptiles and insect species, within both wild and domestic populations [ 9 ]. Its high prevalence in production and companion animals has raised concerns about reservoirs, with paired pig/farmer and pet/owner studies with molecular comparative analysis confirming the cross-species relatedness of C. difficile strains [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”