Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
E coli contamination found in raw meat dog diets but not cooked diets
By Gibson, Jordan F et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2022·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Escherichia coli pathotype contamination in raw canine diets.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 66% of raw-meat-based dog diets tested positive for E. coli bacteria, which can pose health risks to both pets and their owners. Among the E. coli found, some strains were linked to serious health issues, including those that can cause infections in puppies and gastrointestinal problems. In contrast, conventional dog foods showed no contamination. This highlights the importance of being cautious with raw diets, as they may carry harmful bacteria that could affect your dog's health and your family's safety.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of Escherichia coli contamination and E coli virulence gene signatures consistent with known E coli pathotypes in commercially available conventional diets and raw-meat-based diets (RMBDs). SAMPLE: 40 diets in total (19 conventionally cooked kibble or canned diets and 21 RMBDs) obtained from retail stores or online distributors. PROCEDURES: Each diet was cultured for E coli contamination in 3 separate container locations using standard microbiological techniques. Further characterization of E coli isolates was performed by polymerase chain reaction-based pathotype and virulence gene analysis. RESULTS: Conventional diets were negative in all culture based testing. In RMBDs, bacterial contamination was similar to previous reports in the veterinary literature, with 66% (14/21) of the RMBDs having positive cultures for E coli. Among the 191 confirmed E coli isolates from these diets, 31.9% (61/191) were positive for virulence genes. Categorized by pathotype, isolates presumptively belonging to the neonatal meningitis E coli pathotype (15.7% [30/191]) were the most common, followed by enterohemorrhagic E coli (10.5% [20/191]), enteropathogenic E coli (5.8% [11/191]), uropathogenic E coli (2.1% [4/191]), and diffusely adherent E coli (1.6% [3/191]). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The results of this study reaffirmed the bacteriologic risks previously associated with RMBDs. Furthermore, potential zoonotic concerns associated with identified pathotypes in these diets may have significant consequences for owners in the animals' home environment. Potential risk associated with bacterial contamination should be addressed in animals fed RMBDs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35524954/