The Fecal Carriage ofSpecies Among Pet Animals Suffering from Gastroenteritis: A Potential Public Health Concern.

Abstract

Although recent research has provided better insights into, much remains unknown regarding non-species in animals. Pet animals living close to humans may act as a potential reservoir for a diversespecies. Hence, this study aimed to investigatespp.'s prevalence among pet animals suffering from gastroenteritis and their zoonotic relevance.Eighty-seven fecal samples were collected from dogs (53) and cats (34) suffering from gastroenteritis. The DNA was extracted for the molecular detection ofspp.,,, andthrough amplification of16S rRNA as well as multiplex PCR targetingHsp60,urease, andurease C genes in all samples. Sequencing of some selected PCR amplicons and phylogenetic analysis were conducted.The overall prevalence ofspp. ws 34.5%, with the following rates: 37.7% and 29.4% among dogs and cats, respectively.had the highest occurrence rate (20.7%), whereaswas detected at 11.5%, followed byat 2.3%. Coinfection with more than onespecies has been documented. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis of three partial16S rRNA sequences revealed a high genetic relatedness to strains derived from a diarrheic cat and human bacteremic patients with a history of pet exposure, indicating the public health implications of these sequences.The fecal carriage of diversespp. among dogs and cats suffering from gastroenteritis, with a predominance of, highlights a potential risk of zoonotic transmission of such pathogens between pets and human contacts.