Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Salmonella bacteria and antibiotic resistance in healthy and sick dogs
By Usmael, Belisa et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and risk factors assessment of non-typhoidal Salmonella from apparently healthy and diarrheic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 6.3% of dogs, including both healthy and those with diarrhea, carried non-typhoidal Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause illness in humans. Diarrheic dogs had a higher rate of infection (15.2%) compared to healthy ones (5.5%). Female dogs were more likely to carry the bacteria than males, and those fed offal were at greater risk of shedding Salmonella in their feces. Most dog owners were unaware of the risks of Salmonella transmission from dogs to humans. To reduce the risk, it’s important for pet owners to practice good hygiene and be cautious about their dogs' diets.
People also search for: dog diarrhea Salmonella risk · how to prevent Salmonella in dogs · dog food offal safety
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dogs are one of the important asymptomatic carriers of antimicrobial resistant and potentially pathogenic strains of Salmonella. They can harbor large bacterial load in the intestines and mesenteric lymph nodes which can be shed in their feces with the possibility of transmission to humans. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted with the objectives of estimating the prevalence of non-typhoidal Salmonella, assessing the risk factors for dog's Salmonella carriage, and profiling the antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella isolates among housed dogs in Harar town, Eastern Ethiopia. A total of 415 rectal swab samples were collected from randomly selected dogs. Samples were examined for non-typhoidal Salmonella using standard bacteriologic culture and biochemical tests. The disk diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer test) was employed to evaluate the isolates for their susceptibility against five antimicrobials. RESULTS: Non-typhoidal Salmonella were isolated from 26 (6.3%) of the rectal swab samples, with significantly higher occurrence in diarrheic (15.2%) than non-diarrheic (5.5%) dogs. The risk of Salmonella harboring was significantly higher in female dogs than in male dogs (OR = 2.5, p = 0.027). Dogs fecal shedding of Salmonella was relatively higher in households who used offal as a main feed type for their dogs (23.1%; 95% CI = 5-53.8) than those who used leftover food (10.1%; 95% CI = 5.7-16.1) and practiced mixed feeding system (17%; 95% CI = 7.6-30.8). Salmonella isolates showed higher resistance to ampicillin (41.7%), while all isolates were fully susceptible to gentamicin. Moreover, 58.3% of Salmonella isolates showed resistance to at least one of the tested antimicrobials. Majorities (72.7%) of the dog owners had no awareness on the risk of zoonotic salmonellosis from dog and all of the respondents use bare hand to clean dog kennel. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals the importance of both diarrheic and apparently healthy housed dogs in the harboring and shedding of antimicrobial resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella. The risk of non-typhoidal Salmonella spread among pet owners is not negligible, especially in households who use offal as main feed type. Therefore, an integrated approach such as: proper dog handling practices; continuous evaluation of antimicrobial resistance; and rational use of antimicrobials in the field of veterinary sector are necessary to tackle the problem.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35033077/