Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria Isolated From Canine Urine Samples Submitted to a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Illinois, United States

Abstract

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in dogs constitutes a threat to animal and human health. There is a lack of studies in Illinois that evaluated the prevalence of AMR among urinary bacterial pathogens. In the study, we included 803 isolates (299 Gram-positive and 504 Gram-negative) that were isolated from 2,583 canine urine samples submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the University of Illinois between 2019 and 2020 from dogs suspected of urinary tract infections (UTI). The most common Gram-positive isolates included Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (17.93%), Enterococcus faecalis (9.46%), Streptococcus canis (6.10%), and Enterococcus faecium (3.74%), while Gram-negative isolates included Escherichia coli (45.58%), Proteus mirabilis (11.08%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (3.11%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2.99%). Among the Gram-positive isolates, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates showed a very high prevalence of resistance to penicillin (56.94%), a high prevalence of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (31.94%), enrofloxacin (29.17%), and oxacillin (27.08%). Among Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli isolates showed a high prevalence of resistance to ampicillin (31.42%). Considering the high prevalence of resistance to antimicrobials commonly used to treat UTI in dogs, urine samples should be collected for bacterial culture and susceptibility testing before treatment initiation to prevent treatment failures and the development of multidrug resistance. Given the possibility of zoonotic transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, veterinarians when treating UTI cases, should inform dog owners of the potential transmission risk.

Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Bacterial Isolates from Urinary Tract Infections in Companion Animals in Central Italy

“…Escherichia coli is the most common bacteria responsible for UTIs in dogs and cats in Europe [ 22 , 23 ], the USA [ 19 ], Canada [ 30 ], and New Zealand [ 31 ]. The same result was reported in the most recent studies carried out in the USA [ 32 , 33 ], the UK [ 17 ], Spain [ 34 ], Italy [ 27 ], and Germany [ 35 ]. Cephalosporins resistance above 30% was detected in E. coli isolated from dogs and cats.…”

“…This bacterium is of particular interest considering its intrinsic resistance to different antibiotics and its acquired fluoroquinolone resistance, as described several times in the abovementioned studies. In the present study, the resistant profile observed for P. mirabilis was also characterized by the resistance to imipenem, as recently reported in the USA [ 33 ]. These data raise concerns regarding the potential zoonotic role of UTI-related P. mirabilis strains isolated in the present study.…”

“…was the second most frequent urinary pathogen in feline samples. The isolates of this study resulted resistant to doxycycline and fluroquinolones, as reported in other studies carried out in Italy [ 27 ], Portugal [ 38 ], the UK [ 17 ], Spain [ 34 ], and the USA [ 33 ]. Considering the intrinsic resistance of certain Enterococcus spp.…”

“…and Pseudomonas spp. revealed high resistance to ampicillin, cephalosporins, tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones, and similar patterns were described in Portugal [ 12 ], Spain [ 34 ], Thailand [ 26 ], and the USA [ 33 ].…”

“…Proteus mirabilis was the second most common Enteobacteriales isolated in dogs, as previously reported by other authors [ 17 , 23 , 36 ]. This species was widely investigated in different studies performed in Spain [ 34 ], the UK [ 17 ], Thailand [ 26 ], and the USA [ 33 ], or in retrospective studies of data collected in Europe [ 22 , 23 ]. This bacterium is of particular interest considering its intrinsic resistance to different antibiotics and its acquired fluoroquinolone resistance, as described several times in the abovementioned studies.…”