Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New Staphylococcus felis strain kills resistant dog skin bacteria
By Faccin, Mayane et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2025·Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Staphylococcus felis C4 exhibits in vitro antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in a novel canine skin explant model.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a strain of bacteria called Staphylococcus felis C4 can help fight against a common skin infection in dogs caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, including resistant strains. Researchers tested this by applying the S. felis C4 strain to skin samples and found it significantly reduced the growth of the harmful bacteria. After treatment, no harmful bacteria were detected on the skin, suggesting that S. felis C4 could be a promising new probiotic therapy for treating skin infections in dogs. This could be especially helpful for dogs suffering from persistent skin issues.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in dogs · probiotic for dog skin problems
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine superficial pyoderma is a common bacterial skin infection of dogs, generally caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. The C4 strain of Staphylococcus felis was recently discovered to have strong antimicrobial activity against S. pseudintermedius in mice. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate in vitro if this antimicrobial activity was maintained using a novel canine skin explant model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Punch biopsies (8 mm) of skin from recently euthanised dogs were collected and placed into six-well plates on top of an agarose pedestal. RESULTS: Histological examination of the skin explants showed an intact dermal-epidermal organisation and a stratum corneum that was successfully colonised by S. pseudintermedius after topical application. The number of colony forming units of S. pseudintermedius showed a 2 log increase after 24 h colonisation, indicating that the explant supported bacterial growth. By contrast, co-treatment with S. felis C4 live bacteria and its sterile protein product significantly reduced the growth of a methicillin-susceptible (ST540, p = 0.0357) and a methicillin-resistant (MR) strain (ST71, p = 0.0143) of S. pseudintermedius. No detectable bacteria were recovered from or visualised on skin 24 h posttreatment with the S. felis C4 sterile protein product. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Using a novel canine explant model, we demonstrate that the S. felis C4 strain inhibits the growth of S. pseudintermedius and that it is a promising candidate for a new probiotic therapy to treat cutaneous infections caused by S. pseudintermedius, including MR strains.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39450713/