Human and Companion Animal Proteus mirabilis Sharing

Abstract

Proteus mirabilis is an important pathogen that is associated with urinary tract infections. This study aims to determine the colonization and sharing of P. mirabilis between healthy companion animals and humans that are living together and to evaluate the clonal relatedness of the fecal and clinical stains. Eighteen households (24 humans, 18 dogs, 8 cats) with at least one human–animal pair were studied. Fecal samples were plated onto MacConkey and Hektoen agar and P. mirabilis PFGE analysis (NotI; Dice/UPGMA; 1.5% tolerance) was conducted for the households with multiple positive participants. Antimicrobial-resistance was tested according to CLSI. The fecal P. mirabilis pulse-types were compared with uropathogenic clinical strains (n = 183). Forty-nine P. mirabilis were isolated from eight households. The percentage of colonization in the dogs (44.4%, n = 8/18) was significantly higher (p = 0.0329) than in the humans (12.5%, n = 3/24). Three households had multiple colonized participants. One human–dog pair shared related P. mirabilis strains, which clustered with a clinical strain of animal origin (82.5%). One fecal P. mirabilis strain, from a dog, clustered with two human community-acquired clinical strains (80.9%, 88.9%). To our knowledge, this is the first report of dogs and humans living in close contact and sharing related P. mirabilis strains. The high frequency of colonization in the dogs underlines their possible role as P. mirabilis reservoirs for humans and other dogs.

Draft genome sequences of two Proteus mirabilis isolates recovered from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Ontario, Canada

“…Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative motile bacterium that is part of the gastrointestinal flora of humans and animals, including chicken and pigs. It is frequently implicated in urinary tract infections and bacteremia ( 1 , 2 ), and has been associated with foodborne infections in several countries ( 3 – 5 ). The presence of P. mirabilis in retail meat products could suggest an emerging food safety risk ( 1 , 2 ).…”

“…It is frequently implicated in urinary tract infections and bacteremia ( 1 , 2 ), and has been associated with foodborne infections in several countries ( 3 – 5 ). The presence of P. mirabilis in retail meat products could suggest an emerging food safety risk ( 1 , 2 ). Here, we present the draft genomes of two P. mirabilis (V1 and V4) isolates recovered from a wastewater sample as part of a larger program that employs wastewater-based epidemiology to track foodborne pathogens.…”

Evaluation of Different Activity of Lactobacillus spp. against Two Proteus mirabilis Isolated Clinical Strains in Different Anatomical Sites In Vitro: An Explorative Study to Improve the Therapeutic Approach

“…One of the main aetiological agents associated with the onset of complicated UTIs and catheter-associated UTIs (CAUTIs) is Proteus mirabilis , a mobile rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, originally discovered in 1885 by Hauser. P. mirabilis is widely distributed in the environment, mainly in water and soil, where it plays an important role in the decomposition of organic material of animal origin [ 9 , 10 ], and colonizes human and animal gastrointestinal tracts [ 11 , 12 ].…”