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. 2021 Mar;35(2):970-979.
doi: 10.1111/jvim.16038. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

Acquisition and carriage of multidrug-resistant organisms in dogs and cats presented to small animal practices and clinics in Switzerland

Valentina Dazio  1 , Aurélien Nigg  2 , Janne S Schmidt  3 , Michael Brilhante  2   4 , Nico Mauri  5 , Stephan P Kuster  6 , Stefanie Gobeli Brawand  2 , Gertraud Schüpbach-Regula  7 , Barbara Willi  3 , Andrea Endimiani  8 , Vincent Perreten  2 , Simone Schuller  1
Affiliations

Acquisition and carriage of multidrug-resistant organisms in dogs and cats presented to small animal practices and clinics in Switzerland

Valentina Dazio et al. J Vet Intern Med. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Background: The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) present a threat to human and animal health.

Objectives: To assess acquisition, prevalence of and risk factors for MDRO carriage in dogs and cats presented to veterinary clinics or practices in Switzerland.

Animals: Privately owned dogs (n = 183) and cats (n = 88) presented to 4 veterinary hospitals and 1 practice.

Methods: Prospective, longitudinal, observational study. Oronasal and rectal swabs were collected at presentation and 69% of animals were sampled again at discharge. Methicillin-resistant (MR) staphylococci and macrococci, cephalosporinase-, and carbapenemase-producing (CP) Enterobacterales were isolated. Genetic relatedness of isolates was assessed by repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction and multilocus sequence typing. Risk factors for MDRO acquisition and carriage were analyzed based on questionnaire-derived and hospitalization data.

Results: Admission prevalence of MDRO carriage in pets was 15.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.4-20.4). The discharge prevalence and acquisition rates were 32.1% (95% CI, 25.5-39.3) and 28.3% (95% CI, 22-35.4), respectively. Predominant hospital-acquired isolates were extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E coli; 17.3%) and β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.7%). At 1 institution, a cluster of 24 highly genetically related CP (blaoxa181 and blaoxa48 ) was identified. Multivariate analysis identified hospitalization at clinic 1 (odds ratio [OR], 5.1; 95% CI, 1.6-16.8) and days of hospitalization (OR 3-5 days, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.8-10.9; OR > 5 days, 6.2; 95% CI, 1.3-28.8) as risk factors for MDRO acquisition in dogs.

Conclusions: Veterinary hospitals play an important role in the selection and transmission of MDRO among veterinary patients.

Keywords: carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales; extended-spectrum β-lactamase; risk factors; transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Total number of animals tested at presentation to (P) and discharge from (D) participating clinics/practice. Proportions of MDRO‐positive animals are indicated above the columns. MDRO, multidrug‐resistant organisms
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Number of multidrug‐resistant organisms isolated from dogs and cats at presentation to and discharge from 3 veterinary clinics and 1 practice. MRSA, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus; MRSP, methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius; S, Staphylococcus; M, Macrococcus; E, Enterococcus; E coli, Escherichia coli; K pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae
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