Publication
Sharing more than friendship : dynamics of direct transmission of antimicrobial resistance between human families and their companion animals
| Summary: | Enterobacterales that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC cephalosporinases and carbapenemases (CPE), as well as colistin-resistant strains, are important pathogens raising public health concerns due to their increasing prevalence. The prospective longitudinal study focusing on households in Portugal (PT) and the United Kingdom (UK), showed that ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacterales strains carriage in healthy companion animals occur at a significantly lower frequency (p-value <0.0001) compared to animals with active infections under antibiotic therapy. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis identified the sharing of ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacterales strains between healthy companion animals and humans in two households from Portugal (n=41), involving Escherichia coli human pandemics lineages ST93, ST410 and ST457. Among companion animals undergoing antibiotic treatment due to urinary tract infection (UTI) or skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), and their cohabiting humans, sharing of faecal ESBL/AmpC producing E. coli strains was observed in four households (PT= 2/43; UK= 2/22), with strains belonging to ST2015, ST617 and ST963. Additionally, one Portuguese household shared a multidrug-resistant (MDR) ACT-24-producing Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hoffmannii strain. Notably, three other animals shared the clinical strains with their cohabiting humans: a ST556 Klebsiella pneumoniae, the high-risk clonal lineage ST131 E. coli strain and a ST2179 E. coli classified as Avian Pathogenic (APEC). CPE strains were only detected in animals under antibiotic treatment. These strains were positive for blaOXA-181 and blaNDM-5 genes, present in plasmids virtually identical to those found in isolates from humans, food, and the environment in other countries. MDR E. coli strains harbouring the plasmid-mediated colistin resistant gene, mcr-1, were recovered from faecal samples of companion animals and humans in Portugal, with no significant difference between healthy and infected groups (p-value=0.257). In two households with dogs diagnosed with SSTIs, sharing of mcr-1-positive ST744 E. coli strains with the owner were observed. The detection of MDR bacteria sharing between companion animals and their cohabiting humans, especially when it matched the animal's UTI/SSTI clinical strain, highlights the importance of considering household-level interventions in response to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the community, reinforcing the need for active monitoring and stringent hygiene practices under a One Health approach |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | Menezes, Juliana Cruz de Oliveira de |
| Subject: | One Health ESBL-producing Enterobacterales Carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli mcr-1 Uma Só Saúde Enterobacterales produtoras de ESBL Escherichia coli produtora de carbapenemases mcr-1 |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | doctoral thesis |
| Access type: | open access |
| Associated institution: | Universidade de Lisboa |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa |
| Summary: | Enterobacterales that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC cephalosporinases and carbapenemases (CPE), as well as colistin-resistant strains, are important pathogens raising public health concerns due to their increasing prevalence. The prospective longitudinal study focusing on households in Portugal (PT) and the United Kingdom (UK), showed that ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacterales strains carriage in healthy companion animals occur at a significantly lower frequency (p-value <0.0001) compared to animals with active infections under antibiotic therapy. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis identified the sharing of ESBL/AmpC-producing Enterobacterales strains between healthy companion animals and humans in two households from Portugal (n=41), involving Escherichia coli human pandemics lineages ST93, ST410 and ST457. Among companion animals undergoing antibiotic treatment due to urinary tract infection (UTI) or skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI), and their cohabiting humans, sharing of faecal ESBL/AmpC producing E. coli strains was observed in four households (PT= 2/43; UK= 2/22), with strains belonging to ST2015, ST617 and ST963. Additionally, one Portuguese household shared a multidrug-resistant (MDR) ACT-24-producing Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. hoffmannii strain. Notably, three other animals shared the clinical strains with their cohabiting humans: a ST556 Klebsiella pneumoniae, the high-risk clonal lineage ST131 E. coli strain and a ST2179 E. coli classified as Avian Pathogenic (APEC). CPE strains were only detected in animals under antibiotic treatment. These strains were positive for blaOXA-181 and blaNDM-5 genes, present in plasmids virtually identical to those found in isolates from humans, food, and the environment in other countries. MDR E. coli strains harbouring the plasmid-mediated colistin resistant gene, mcr-1, were recovered from faecal samples of companion animals and humans in Portugal, with no significant difference between healthy and infected groups (p-value=0.257). In two households with dogs diagnosed with SSTIs, sharing of mcr-1-positive ST744 E. coli strains with the owner were observed. The detection of MDR bacteria sharing between companion animals and their cohabiting humans, especially when it matched the animal's UTI/SSTI clinical strain, highlights the importance of considering household-level interventions in response to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the community, reinforcing the need for active monitoring and stringent hygiene practices under a One Health approach |
|---|