Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Multidrug resistant bacteria found in sick cats in Italy
By Piccolo, Francesco Lo et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2020·Department of Veterinary Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of multidrug resistance and extended-spectrum/plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamase genes in Enterobacteriaceae isolates from diseased cats in Italy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats in Italy with various health issues, including diarrhea and respiratory problems, were found to have high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their systems. Out of 90 cats tested, many had infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae, with a significant number showing resistance to common antibiotics like amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefotaxime. This resistance makes it harder for veterinarians to treat these infections effectively. The study highlights the presence of new resistant genes in these bacteria, which could complicate treatment options for affected cats.
People also search for: cat diarrhea treatment · antibiotic resistance in cats · cat respiratory infection antibiotics · feline upper respiratory disease · cat skin infection treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from cats affected by diseases commonly encountered in practice, and to characterise the third-generation cephalosporin (3GC)-resistance molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS: Clinical samples (n = 100) included 58 rectal swabs from cats with diarrhoea, 31 nasal swabs from cats with clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease, four ear swabs from cats with otitis, three conjunctival swabs from cats with conjunctivitis, two oral swabs from cats with stomatitis, one swab from a skin abscess and one urine sample from a cat with cystitis. A total of 125 Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from 90 cats.was the most frequently isolated species (n = 65), followed byspecies (n = 20),species (n = 13),species (n = 12) and others (n = 15). Bacterial susceptibility testing was performed with respect to eight antimicrobial classes. Beta (β)-lactamase genes were identified by PCR and nucleotide sequencing. RESULTS: Overall, the higher frequency of resistance was to amoxicillin-clavulanate (61.3%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (33.6%) and cefotaxime (32.8%). Thirty-six percent of the isolates (n = 45) were resistant to 3GCs. Of these isolates, 34 were tested by PCR and nucleotide sequencing and 23 were confirmed as encoding β-lactamase genes. Fourteen 3GC-resistant isolates harboured extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) belonging to groups CTX-M-1 (n = 12, two of which were CTX-M-79), CTX-M-2 (n = 1) and CTX-M-9 (n = 1), as well as SHV-12 (n = 1) and TEM-92 (n = 1). Nine isolates had CMY-2 plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases (pAmpC). Thirty-one percent (n = 39) of the isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) and were isolated from 34% (n = 31/90) of the cats. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: A high frequency of MDR and ESBL/pAmpC β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae were detected among bacteria isolated from a feline population in southern Italy with a variety of common clinical conditions, which poses limitations on therapeutic options for companion animals. We describe the first detection of CTX-M-79 and TEM-92 ESBL genes in isolates from cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31524037/