Prevalence and drug resistance of Salmonella in dogs and cats in Xuzhou, China

Abstract

IntroductionSalmonellosis is a zoonotic disease, and Salmonella spp. can sometimes be found in dogs and cats, posing a risk to human health. In this study, the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of faecal Salmonella were investigated in pet dogs and cats in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.Material and MethodsFaecal samples from 243 dogs and 113 cats, at seven pet clinics, were tested between March 2018 and May 2019. Each Salmonella isolate was characterised using serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility tests.ResultsThe prevalence of Salmonella was 9.47% in dogs and 1.77% in cats. Among the 25 isolates, eight serotypes of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica were detected, S. Kentucky (n = 11), S. Indiana (n = 5), and S. Typhimurium (n = 4) predominating. S. Derby, S. Toucra, S. Sandiego, S. Newport, and S. Saintpaul all occurred singly. The 23 Salmonella strains found in dogs were from seven different serovars, while the two strains in cats were from two. The highest resistance rates were found for tetracycline (92%), azithromycin (88%), cefazolin (84%), nalidixic acid (80%), ampicillin (80%), ceftriaxone (80%), and streptomycin (76%). Resistance to three or more antimicrobial agents was detected in 24 (96%) isolates. Most of the S. Kentucky and S. Indiana isolates were multi-drug resistant to more than 11 agents.ConclusionThe carriage rate was far higher in dogs than in cats from Xuzhou. Some isolated strains were highly resistant to antimicrobials used to treat infections in humans and pets, which may raise the risk of humans being infected with multi-drug resistant Salmonella via close contact with pets.

Antimicrobial Drug-Resistant Salmonella in Urban Cats: Is There an Actual Risk to Public Health?

“…According to the results published in the scientific literature, outdoor cats are more likely to test positive for Salmonella spp. bacteria [33]. In a study conducted by Thomas et al [34], the diversity and seasonality of the Salmonella serotype in urban and rural cats were investigated.…”

“…Some factors must also be considered when analysing the prevalence of Salmonella isolates in different regions; these factors include pet hospital management, the reproductive status of the animal, the sampling method used, the season in which the sampling took place, and the method used for the isolation of the bacteria [39]. According to Wei et al [33], cats had a prevalence of 1.77 per cent for Salmonella spp. isolates.…”

Zoonotic potential and prevalence of Salmonella serovars isolated from pets

“…In general, NTS salmonellosis is considered as a foodborne disease (about 80% of all cases were caused by food contamination, reaching 94% in the US in 2012 [25,26]). According to reports from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) and ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), there are more than 90,000 of NTS cases in Europe annually, with the highest number in Germany, Czech Republic, UK, and Poland [16,27]. It is worth noting that non-typhoidal salmonellosis cases are still underestimated as some mild infections are unreported.…”

“…Several reports published in 2015-2021 have concluded that contact with healthy cats kept in homes does not constitute a major zoonotic risk of salmonellosis. Only a few cases were reported, in which salmonellosis was passed on from cats to humans [27,28,104,114,115]. For instance, in China, Wei et al [28] collected faecal samples from 113 cats and only two cats (with and without diarrhoea) were Salmonella-positive (2/113, 1.77%) [28].…”

“…Several reports published in 2015–2021 have concluded that contact with healthy cats kept in homes does not constitute a major zoonotic risk of salmonellosis. Only a few cases were reported, in which salmonellosis was passed on from cats to humans [ 27 , 28 , 104 , 114 , 115 ]. For instance, in China, Wei et al .…”