Bad dog? Research suggests superbug link to man's best friend | Inquirer News

Bad dog? Research suggests superbug link to man’s best friend

/ 11:52 AM July 11, 2021

dogs

AFP FILE PHOTO

PARIS — Antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” — which the World Health Organization calls one of the top global threats to public health — usually conjure images of hospital settings.

But new research may point to a less-obvious source: the family dog.

Article continues after this advertisement

Researchers warned Sunday of “an international public health risk” after finding antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a range of different types of raw dog food.

FEATURED STORIES

“The trend for feeding dogs raw food may be fueling the spread of antibiotic resistant-bacteria”, the researchers said in a press release for their study, to be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.

Separate research to be presented at the same conference found resistance to a last-resort antibiotic may be passing between pet dogs and their owners.

Article continues after this advertisement

Antibiotic resistant bugs can render minor injuries and common infections potentially deadly.

Article continues after this advertisement

Resistance has grown in recent years due to overuse of such drugs in humans and farm animals.

Article continues after this advertisement

In the dog food study, a team from the University of Porto analyzed 55 samples of dog food from 25 brands including 14 raw frozen types, looking for Enterococci bacteria.

The bacteria is able to live harmlessly in human and animal intestines but can be dangerous in other parts of the body and can be resistant to antibiotics.

Article continues after this advertisement

Researchers found that all of the raw dog food samples contained antibiotic-resistant Enterococci, including bacteria resistant to the last-resort antibiotic linezolid.

Genetic sequencing revealed that some of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the raw dog food were the same kind found in hospital patients in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands.

“The close contact of humans with dogs and the commercialization of the studied brands in different countries poses an international public health risk,” said researcher Ana Freitas.

“European authorities must raise awareness about the potential health risks when feeding raw diets to pets and the manufacture of dog food, including ingredient selection and hygiene practices, must be reviewed.”

She added that dog owners should wash their hands after handling pet food and disposing of faeces.

Health threat 

In a separate study, which has not yet been submitted to a medical journal for publication, another team from Portugal tested pet owners and animals from 80 households for bacteria with the mcr-1 gene, which provides resistance to the last-resort antibiotic colistin.

All 126 humans were healthy, while half of the 102 pets sampled had either skin or urinary tract infections.

Four humans and eight dogs tested positive for bacteria carrying mcr-1, and in two households the gene was found in both the dog and its owner.

“Genetic analysis of the samples suggested that in one of these two cases, the gene had been transmitted between pet and owner,” a press release on the research said, adding that it was thought the gene passed from dog to human.

They added this raises concerns that pets could spread resistance to last-resort antibiotics.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classes antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest public health threats facing humanity.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Drug-resistant infections kill an estimated 700,000 people a year globally and the UN has warned that could rise to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken.

TAGS: Dogs, Health, medicine, Research

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.