Occurrence of Pasteurella multocida in Dogs Being Trained for Animal-Assisted Therapy

Abstract

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a non-pharmacological therapy aimed at people with physical and/or mental disabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out interventions that guarantee its benefits for patients while also avoiding the risk of zoonoses due to contact with the animals or their mucous membranes. The present study aimed to detect the occurrence of Pasteurella multocida in the oral cavity of dogs attending a “dog educational centre” and training for AAT interventions. In addition, some of the potential predictable factors of infection (i.e., age, sex, breed, and living conditions) were analyzed. In total, 25/200 dogs examined (12.5%; 95% confidence interval = 8.4–18.1%) were positive for P. multocida, as confirmed by PCR. Sex, breed, and living conditions were risk factors associated with P. multocida as revealed by the logistic regression analysis. Specifically, cross-bred female dogs living prevalently outdoors were significantly associated with the presence of P. multocida (p < 0.05). This study represents the first epidemiological survey of the prevalence of P. multocida in the oral cavity of dogs involved subsequently in AAT interventions, highlighting the potential risk of P. multocida infection in patients, often belonging to risk categories (e.g., children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals). Therefore, healthcare guidelines could be suggested to integrate the current literature related to the health check of dogs involved in AAT. In this way, it could be ensured that, even with bodily contact during AAT, the risk of pathogen transmission by the co-therapist dog can be avoided.

Presence of Campylobacterjejuni and C. coli in Dogs under Training for Animal-Assisted Therapies

“…As reported by Shen et al [ 45 ] in their recent systematic review, bodily contact with the animal was the primary factor with respect to the other themes identified as facilitators of effectiveness in these interventions. During these activities, because of repeated contact with the dog’s body and mucosae, involved patients could be exposed to zoonotic pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses, and fungi) potentially transmitted by the dog through direct contact [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. As dogs have been reported to be carriers of Campylobacter spp.…”

“…Dogs are the main animal species involved in AATs [ 5 , 14 , 15 ], but despite the benefits derived from their competence and their interspecific relationship with humans, this animal species could represent a vector of several zoonotic agents’ transmission [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. As reported by Ghasemzadeh and Namazi [ 22 ], dogs are a major reservoir of zoonotic infections and they can transmit several viral and bacterial diseases to humans.…”

An Animal-Assisted Education Intervention with Dogs to Promote Emotion Comprehension in Primary School Children—The Federico II Model of Healthcare Zooanthropology

“…In addition, before having access to the classroom and after the end of each AAE session, disinfectant wipes (i.e., chlorhexidine, TRIS-EDTA, zinc gluconate, and glycerine) were used to clean the coat, paws, and tail of the dog to avoid the transmission of zoonotic agents (e.g., bacteria, fungi, parasitic elements) [ 24 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

Zoonotic Risk of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in Animal-Assisted Interventions: Laboratory Strategies for the Diagnosis of Infections in Humans and Animals

“…In recent years there has been a large international scientific production at various levels in the field of AAIs, but most scholars have been interested in AATs, which represent a valid non-pharmacological therapeutic approach for patients with depression, autism, dementia, mental or physical distress, or other illnesses [97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104].…”

“…In particular, since the dog is the main involved animal species in this type of intervention [95,101,104], most of the studies concerning the zoonoses carried by the animals involved in AAIs, even if small, mainly concern the dog [103,[121][122][123][124][125][126]. With regard to zoonoses carried by other animal species in the context of AAIs in general, only Simonato G. et al [127] has paid attention to the parasites carried by other animal species other than dogs (equids, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, and goats), while other authors have focused on generic hygiene measures to prevent and reduce zoonotic risk [128][129][130].…”