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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Multidrug-resistant E. coli infections in 37 dogs and treatment

By Gibson, J S et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2008·School of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Multidrug-resistant E. coli and enterobacter extraintestinal infection in 37 dogs.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A group of 37 dogs developed serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant E. coli and Enterobacter, often after having other health issues or previous antibiotic treatments. Most of these dogs had urinary tract infections, and many had been hospitalized for several days or had undergone surgery. Some were treated with high doses of a common antibiotic called co-amoxyclavulanate, and surprisingly, many recovered even though the bacteria were resistant to it. Others responded well to different antibiotics like chloramphenicol and imipenem.

People also search for: dog urinary tract infection treatment · antibiotic-resistant E. coli in dogs · co-amoxyclavulanate for dogs

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Extraintestinal infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli and Enterobacter are becoming more common in veterinary medicine. OBJECTIVE: To generate hypotheses for risk factors for dogs acquiring extraintestinal infection caused by MDR E. coli and Enterobacter, describe antimicrobial resistance profiles and analyze treatment and clinical outcomes. ANIMALS: Thirty-seven dogs diagnosed with extraintestinal infection caused by MDR E. coli and Enterobacter spp. between October 1999 and June 2006. METHODS: Retrospective case series assembled from hospital records data, including clinical history before 1st MDR isolation and treatment outcome. Identity and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were confirmed by standard microbiological techniques for 57 isolates. RESULTS: Most dogs had an underlying disease condition (97%), received prior antimicrobial treatment (87%), were hospitalized for >or =3 days (82%), and had a surgical intervention (57%). The urinary tract was the most common infection site (62%), and urinary catheterization, bladder stasis, or both were common among dogs (24%). Some dogs were treated with high doses of co-amoxyclavulanate (n = 14) and subsequently recovered even though the isolates showed in vitro resistance to this antimicrobial. Other dogs were successfully treated with chloramphenicol (n = 11) and imipenem (n = 2). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Predisposing disease condition, any prior antimicrobial use rather than a specific class of antimicrobial, duration of hospitalization, and type of surgical procedure might be risk factors for acquiring MDR extraintestinal infections. Whereas culture and sensitivity results can indicate use of last-resort antimicrobials such as imipenem for MDR infections, some affected dogs can recover after administration of high doses of co-amoxyclavulanate.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18647154/