Prevalence of Bacterial Urinary Tract Infections in Dogs and Cats with Lower Urinary Tract Diseases and Other Illnesses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur in dogs and cats across diverse populations and regions. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we estimated the pooled prevalence of UTIs in dogs and cats with lower urinary tract diseases (LUTDs) or other illnesses and characterized the distribution of bacterial uropathogens. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 887 articles, of which 18 were published up to October 2024, met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses using a random-effects model estimated a pooled prevalence of 26.1%. Prevalence was greater in dogs (44.6%) than in cats (18.6%), and higher in females (30.1%) than in males (14.6%), affecting all age groups. Single-pathogen infections predominated, with <i>Escherichia coli</i> being the most common uropathogen in both species, followed by <i>Proteus</i> spp. and <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. in dogs and <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp. in cats. Prevalence remained relatively constant over the study period (1991-2021). These findings underscore the value of pooled prevalence and bacterial distribution data for guiding empirical antimicrobial selection, and they highlight the need for further systematic reviews on antimicrobial susceptibility and multidrug resistance to inform treatment strategies.