According to a study to be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), which will be held in Denmark in April, healthy dogs and cats can pass on multidrug-resistant pathogens to their owners, and likewise, humans can also transmit these dangerous microbes to their pets. Multidrug-resistant organisms are defined as bacteria that resist treatment with more than one antibiotic.

Dr. Carolin Hackmann from Charite University Hospital Berlin stated that the findings of the study verified that it is possible to share multidrug-resistant organisms between companion animals and their owners. In the study, researchers wanted to find out whether pets play a role in the infection of hospital patients with multidrug-resistant organisms.

They focused on the most common superbugs in hospital patients: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), third-generation cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteria (3GCRE), and carbapenem-resistant enterobacteria (CRE), which are resistant to multiple antibiotics, including penicillin and cephalosporins.

The findings of the study showed that multidrug-resistant pathogens were found in 30% of hospital patients. In individuals who tested positive for multidrug-resistant pathogens, the ownership rates of dogs were 11% and cats were 9%, respectively. Further, throat and stool swab samples from 400 pets were also analyzed. A minimum of one multidrug-resistant pathogen was found in 15% of the dogs and 5% of the cats that were tested.

Dr. Hackmann explained that carriers can shed bacteria into their environment for months, and they can be a source of infection for other more vulnerable people in hospitals, such as those with a weak immune system and the very young or old. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1061783)