Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolated from the airways of animals with chronic respiratory disease

Abstract

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) is a nonfermentative bacterium, which is naturally resistant against a panel of commonly-used antibiotics. It is frequently isolated from humans with chronic respiratory disease, e.g. cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In veterinary medicine S. maltophilia is perceived to be a mere coloniser. We herewith report 7 strains of S. maltophilia isolated from animals, of which 5 strains were harvested from 3 horses, a dog and a cat with chronic respiratory disease. The dog isolate showed resistance to trimethoprim / sulphamethoxazole, which was confirmed by detection of the sul 1 gene. Analysis with pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed that 2 horses, which were boarded in the same clinic but two years apart, harboured the same strain of S. maltophilia. This is indicative of a hospital acquired colonisation / infection, which contradicts involvement in the pre-existing chronic disease.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia urinary tract infections in three dogs: a case report

“…In domestic animals, there are only a few reports dealing explicitly with S. maltophilia infection. These have detailed the isolation of the bacterium from the airways of patients with chronic respiratory disease (dog, cat, horse) (Albini et al 2009;Winther et al 2010 …”

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a causative agent of bacterial infections in the horse: two clinical cases

“…In der veterinärmedizinischen Literatur wurde es kürzlich mit chronischen Atemwegserkrankungen des Pferdes in Zusammenhang gebracht (Albini et al, 2009 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a gram -negative rod, is an important emerging nosocomial agent and primary pathogen in human patients. Treatment has proven to be difficult due to natural resistances against a wide range of common antibiotics.…”

Characterization of Maltocin P28, a Novel Phage Tail-Like Bacteriocin from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

“…Recently, fatal infections in humans have been documented (6). S. maltophilia is also associated with equine, canine, and feline respiratory infections and bovine mastitis (7)(8)(9). Furthermore, S. maltophilia is an environmental multidrug-resistant organism that exhibits high-level intrinsic resistance to most currently available broad-spectrum antibiotic agents (10,11).…”