Antimicrobial Resistance in Cats

June 10, 2010

Shaheen BW, Boothe DM, Oyarzabal OA et al: Antimicrobial resistance profiles and clonal relatedness of canine and feline Escherichia coli pathogens expressing multidrug resistance in the United States, J Vet Intern Med 24:323, 2010.

Antibiotic resistance has been documented in E. coli isolates from human, animal and environmental resources. An emerging health concern is the multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of Eshcerichia coli. There have been a number of studies that demonstrate an increase in MDR E. coli associated with infections in dogs and cats throughout the United States and Europe. In this study, 376 isolates of E. coli were collected from dogs and cats from the South, West, Northeast, and Midwest regions of the United States from May to September 2005. 51% of the isolates expressed resistance to at least one drug and 44% of those isolates were single drug resistant (SDR), most commonly amoxicillin. The MDR isolates (56%) were resistant to amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, and enrofloxacin; 18% were resistant to all drugs tested. The majority of the E.coli isolates were genetically and phenotypically distinct from one another. The frequency of MDR did not differ regionally in the United States. The study underscores the need to understand that MDR isolates are not only resistant to many drugs, but the level of resistance to those drugs is very high and thus might not be overcome by increasing doses, nor combination antimicrobial therapy. Therefore, implementation of a robust surveillance program for antimicrobial resistance is recommended. [VT]

Related articles:
Murphy C, Reid-Smith R, Prescott J et al: Occurrence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in healthy dogs and cats presented to private veterinary hospitals in southern Ontario: a preliminary study, Can Vet J 50:1047, 2009.