Results of urinary bacterial cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing of dogs and cats in the UK

Abstract

Bacterial urinary tract infections are a common diagnosis in small animal practice and antibiotics are often administered empirically. The aim of this study was to investigate the aetiology and antibiotic resistance of uropathogens in dogs and cats in the UK.Materials and MethOds: Retrospective study of uroculture and antibiotic susceptibility testing results (n=808) by disk diffusion processed at a veterinary pathology laboratory between 2011 and 2012.results: Significant bacteriuria was detected in 18.4% of samples from dogs and 10.0% from cats, most of which (>90%) yielded a single organism. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacterial species (54.7% and 55.6% of feline and canine isolates, respectively) followed by Proteus mirabilis in dog samples (22.7%) and Enterococcus spp. in cat samples (23.2%). Approximately a third of E. coli isolates were resistant to ampicillin but resistance was much lower among Enterococcus spp. and P. mirabilis. Resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid also seemed to be emerging, particularly in E. coli (almost 20% resistant). In contrast, resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for uropathogens remained <13% except for P. mirabilis (19.4%). Overall, fluoroquinolones showed the best in vitro activity (resistance mostly below 10% for enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin). clinical significance: Our results provide evidence of the emergence of resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat bacterial urinary tract infections. Continued monitoring of the patterns of antibiotic resistance in uropathogens is needed to assess the adequacy of recommendations on the empiric therapy of these infections.

Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Bacterial Isolates from Urinary Tract Infections in Companion Animals in Central Italy

“…Overall, a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria over Gram-positive isolates was observed, even if a significant difference in distribution emerged between dogs and cats. Indeed, the highest frequency of Gram-positive isolates was detected in feline patients, as also described in a recent study by Fonseca et al [ 17 ].…”

“…In the present study, age, breed, sex, antibiotic therapy, concurrent diseases, and recurrent and chronic infections were assessed as potentially related determinants for resistant and MDR bacteria responsible for UTIs in dogs and cats. In particular, resistant bacteria in dogs and MDR bacteria in cats were more likely detected in females and sterilized females, as previously described by Thompson et al [ 21 ] and Fonseca et al [ 17 ]. In addition, the antibiotic treatments were linked to the occurrence of MDR bacteria in dogs and cats, confirming what previously reported from other studies in Brazil [ 25 ], Portugal [ 28 ], and France [ 29 ].…”

“…An overview of antibiotic resistance profiles in pet infections is important not only due to the public health risk, but also in collecting data useful for the treatment of diseases in pets. This information may be functionally used to increase pet welfare, to decrease the risk of antibiotic resistance related to the misuse of antibiotics, and to reduce the economic cost of therapy by using short and tailored treatments [ 6 , 8 , 17 ].…”

“…Cystitis and lower urinary tract infections are generally more common in dogs than in cats [ 18 ]. The highest frequency of affected animals is described in females and neutered males [ 17 , 21 ], and the most common bacteria related to UTIs are Escherichia coli (estimated at 70–75% of cases), followed by Staphylococci, Proteus spp., and Enterococci [ 22 , 23 ]. A similar distribution was also found in human medicine, where the most common causal agent remains the uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) [ 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Prevalence, antibiotic profile, virulence determinants, ESBLs, and non-β-lactam encoding genes of MDR Proteus spp. isolated from infected dogs

“…in dogs with urinary tract diseases in Thailand ( Amphaiphan et al, 2021 ). In another study, P. mirabilis was detected in 22.7% of dogs’ urinary samples in the United Kingdom ( Fonseca et al, 2021 ). In addition, domestic dogs in Nigeria had a 28% prevalence of Proteus spp.…”