Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment outcomes for E coli colitis in Boxers and French Bulldogs
By Manchester, Alison C et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Escherichia coli-associated granulomatous colitis in dogs treated according to antimicrobial susceptibility profiling.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 24 dogs, mostly Boxers and French Bulldogs, were diagnosed with a type of colitis caused by a specific strain of E. coli. The dogs were treated based on tests that showed which antibiotics would work best for their infections. Most dogs with a sensitive strain of E. coli responded well to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, while those with resistant strains had good results with other antibiotics like meropenem or doxycycline. Over time, many of these dogs maintained their improvement, with some showing long-term recovery lasting several years.
People also search for: dog colitis treatment · E. coli infection in dogs · antibiotics for dog colitis · Boxer dog diarrhea treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Eradication of intramucosal Escherichia coli correlates with remission of periodic acid-Schiff-positive E coli-associated granulomatous colitis (GC). Treatment failures attributed to multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria necessitate alternative approaches. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Determine clinical outcome of E coli-associated GC in dogs treated based on antimicrobial susceptibility profiling and characterize E coli phylogeny and resistance mechanisms. ANIMALS: Twenty Boxers and 4 French Bulldogs with E coli-associated GC. METHODS: Culture, antimicrobial susceptibility profiling, and molecular characterization of E coli were performed and response to treatment was evaluated. RESULTS: Initial biopsy sample culture yielded fluoroquinolone-sensitive (FQ-S) E coli from 9/24 dogs and fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) E coli from 15/24. All but 1 FQ-R E coli were MDR with susceptibility to macrophage-penetrating antimicrobials restricted to carbapenems in 13/15 dogs. Of 22/24 treated based on susceptibility profiling, 8/9 FQ-S dogs had complete initial clinical response (CR) during fluoroquinolone (FQ) treatment, whereas 9/13 FQ-R dogs had complete or partial response (PR) during meropenem or doxycycline treatment. In 5/9 FQ-S and 12/13 FQ-R dogs with follow-up ≥3 months, CR was sustained in 5/5 FQ-S (median, 25 months; range, 4-46) whereas 6/12 FQ-R had long-term CR (median, 59 months; range 15-102), 4/12 PR (median, 19 months; range, 5-65), and 2/12 had no response (NR). Four dogs with long-term follow-up died within 4 years of diagnosis, including 2 euthanized for refractory colitis. Escherichia coli were genetically diverse. Fluoroquinolone resistance was associated with mutations in gyrA and parC, with plasmid-mediated resistance less common. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Antimicrobial treatment guided by susceptibility profiling was associated with positive long-term outcomes in >80% of cases. Fluoroquinolone-resistance was widespread and not clonal. Further study is required to optimize treatment for dogs with MDR E coli-associated GC.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33321554/