Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in urine of dogs rescued from Southern Brazil floods.

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has emerged as an important issue in public health. Additionally, climate change increases the risk of bacterial infections and pathogens dissemination, posing a serious challenge to public health. Among these threats, the emergence and spread of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are of particular concern, given the limited therapeutic options and high mortality rates associated with these bacterial infections. This study investigated the presence of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in the urine samples of 192 dogs rescued from the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Among this, 18 dogs (9%, 18/192) harbored 31 Gram-negative bacteria with potential resistance to carbapenems, which were further identified based on MALDI-TOF/MS and partial 16S-rDNA gene sequencing. Most strains belonged to the genera Pseudomonas (39%, 12/31) followed by Stenotrophomonas (19%, 6/31), with the remaining 42% (13/31) being distributed across other genera. Confirmation of carbapenem resistance was performed using the broth microdilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of meropenem. This test identified six strains (19%, 6/31) resistant to meropenem, with concentrations ranging from 8 μg/mL to > 128 μg/mL, including three Pseudomonas spp. (8 μg/mL) and three Stenotrophomonas spp. (128 μg/mL). As Stenotrophomonas spp. are potentially intrinsically resistant to meropenem, a phylogenetic analysis based on partial 16S-rDNA gene was conducted only for the three meropenem-resistant Pseudomonas strains. The phylogenetic tree revealed two distinct clades, with two strains clustering with high similarity to P. aeruginosa and one strain with P. huaxiensis. Our findings highlight the importance of monitoring antimicrobial resistance, particularly during climate-related disasters, which may facilitate the dissemination of resistant strains.