Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia Coli and Sequence Type 131 in Fecal Colonization in Dogs in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Most drug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates in dogs come from diseased dogs. Prior to this study, the prevalence and risk factors of fecal carriage drug-resistant E. coli and epidemic clone sequence type (ST) 131 (including subtypes) isolates in dogs were unknown. Methods: Rectal swabs were used for E. coli isolation from 299 dogs in a veterinary teaching hospital in Taiwan. Antibiotic resistance and multiplex PCR analyses of E. coli for major STs were performed. Result: There were 43.1% cefazolin-resistant, 22.1% fluoroquinolone-resistant, and 9.4% extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli in our cohort. In the phylogenetic study, B2 was the predominant group (30.1%). The cefazolin-resistant group and ciprofloxacin-resistant group had greater antibiotic exposure in the last 14 days (P < 0.05). The age, sex, and dietary habits of the antibiotic-resistant and -susceptible groups were similar. In the seven isolates of ST131 in fecal colonization, the most predominant subtypes were FimH41 and FimH22. Conclusion: Recent antibiotic exposure was related to the fecal carriage of antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolates. Three major subtypes (FimH41, H22, and H30) of ST131 can thus be found in fecal carriage in dogs in Taiwan.

Evidence that faecal carriage of resistant Escherichia coli by 16-week-old dogs in the United Kingdom is associated with raw feeding

“…Of the FQ-R isolates sequenced, ST744 (11/36 isolates) dominated, with 6/36 isolates identified as ST162 ( Table 3 ). Others have reported carriage of CTX-M or AmpC-producing third generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GC-R) E. coli in dogs, and prevalence varies from study to study [ [36] , [37] , [38] ]. In our study we did not select for 3GC-R E. coli directly from faecal samples, so it is not possible for us to directly compare.…”