Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Multidrug-resistant E. coli in dog uterine and urinary infections
By Sroithongkham, Parinya et al.·Published in Scientific reports·2024·Department of Veterinary Microbiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli causing canine pyometra and urinary tract infections are genetically related but distinct from those causing prostatic abscesses.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female dog with pyometra (a serious infection of the uterus) was found to have a multidrug-resistant strain of E. coli. This bacteria was also linked to urinary tract infections and other serious infections in dogs and cats. The study showed that these strains are genetically related but distinct from those causing prostatic abscesses. The findings suggest that these resistant bacteria can lead to severe health issues in pets, emphasizing the need for careful monitoring and treatment.
People also search for: dog pyometra treatment · multidrug-resistant E. coli in dogs · urinary tract infection in dogs treatment
Abstract
Despite extensive characterisation of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), the genetic background of non-urinary extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) in companion animals remains inadequately understood. In this study, we characterised virulence traits of 104 E. coli isolated from canine pyometra (n = 61) and prostatic abscesses (PAs) (n = 38), and bloodstream infections (BSIs) in dogs (n = 2), and cats (n = 3). A stronger association with UPEC of pyometra strains in comparison to PA strains was revealed. Notably, 44 isolates exhibited resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and/or fluoroquinolones, 15 were extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producers. Twelve multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains, isolated from pyometra (n = 4), PAs (n = 5), and BSIs (n = 3), along with 7 previously characterised UPEC strains from dogs and cats, were sequenced. Genomic characteristics revealed that MDR E. coli associated with UTIs, pyometra, and BSIs belonged to international high-risk E. coli clones, including sequence type (ST) 38, ST131, ST617, ST648, and ST1193. However, PA strains belonged to distinct lineages, including ST12, ST44, ST457, ST744, and ST13037. The coreSNPs, cgMLST, and pan-genome illustrated intra-clonal variations within the same ST from different sources. The high-risk ST131 and ST1193 (phylogroup B2) contained high numbers of ExPEC virulence genes on pathogenicity islands, predominating in pyometra and UTI. Hybrid MDR/virulence IncF multi-replicon plasmids, containing aerobactin genes, were commonly found in non-B2 phylogroups from all sources. These findings offer genomic insights into non-urinary ExPEC, highlighting its potential for invasive infections in pets beyond UTIs, particularly with regards to high-risk global clones.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38782931/