Pet Owners Beware: Study Finds Potential for Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms Between Pets and Hospitalized Owners

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New research being presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen suggests that healthy dogs and cats could potentially pass on multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) to their hospitalized owners, and vice versa.

Dr. Carolin Hackmann from Charité University Hospital Berlin and colleagues conducted a study of over 2,800 hospital patients and their companion animals, which found that sharing MDROs between pets and their owners is possible but not a significant risk factor for hospital patients.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern, and the role of pets as potential reservoirs of MDROs is of growing concern. The study focused on the most common superbugs in hospital patients, which are resistant to multiple antibiotics including penicillin and cephalosporins. Nasal and rectal swabs were collected from 2,891 patients hospitalized in Charité University Hospital Berlin, and from any dogs and cats that lived in their households, between June 2019 and September 2022.

Overall, 30% of hospital patients tested positive for MDROs, and 70% tested negative. Of the 626 pet owners, 15% of dogs and 5% of cats tested positive for at least one MDRO. In four cases, MDROs were phenotypically matching between pets and their owners. Whole genome sequencing confirmed that only one of the matching pairs was genetically identical in a dog and its owner. The matching pathogen was 3GCR Escherichia coli.

The study authors caution that this is an observational study and cannot prove that close contact with pets causes colonization with MDROs. They also point to several limitations, including possible under-reporting of MDRO colonization in pets due to problems in taking swab samples, which was done by the pet owners themselves. The study results apply to the setting of hospital patients in an urban area and may not be applicable to the general population or MDRO high-risk groups like livestock farmers. However, the authors note that carriers can shed bacteria into their environment for months, and pets can be a source of infection for other vulnerable people in the hospital, such as those with a weak immune system and the very young or old.

Key Takeaways in a Nutshell – Health Newstrack

1. Healthy dogs and cats could potentially pass on multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) to their hospitalized owners, and vice versa, according to new research presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

2. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern globally, and the role of pets as potential reservoirs of MDROs is of increasing concern.

3. Overall, 30% of hospital patients tested positive for MDROs, and 70% tested negative. Of the 626 pet owners, 15% of dogs and 5% of cats tested positive for at least one MDRO.

4. The study results apply to the setting of hospital patients in an urban area and may not be applicable to the general population or MDRO high-risk groups like livestock farmers.

5. Carriers can shed bacteria into their environment for months, and pets can be a source of infection for other vulnerable people in the hospital, such as those with a weak immune system and the very young or old.


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