Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: superbugs
Antibiotic-resistant
"superbugs" is one of the greatest threats to public health according
to The World Health Organization (WHO).
They usually conjure up
images of hospital environments.
The research may point to
a less obvious source, which is the family dog.
Just after discovering
antibiotic-resistant bacteria in different types of raw dog food, many
researchers have warned of "an international public health risk".
Researchers stated in a
press release about their study that "The trend of feeding dogs raw food
could accelerate the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria".
That is will be presented
at the ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious
Diseases).
Raw dog food: Antibiotic-resistant increase
It was reported that Antibiotic-resistant
bugs can make common infections potentially fatal and minor injuries.
There has been a
significant increase in resistance in recent years due to the overuse of these drugs
in humans and farm animals.
In this sense, a team from the University of Porto analyzed 55 dog food samples from 25 brands.
In this dog food study,
they investigated 14 types of frozen raw food - to detect the presence of enterococcus
bacteria.
The bacteria can live
safely in the human and animal intestines.
Whereas, it can be dangerous
in other parts of the body and can be resistant to antibiotics.
According to researchers
statements, all samples of the raw dog food contained antibiotic-resistant
enterococci.
Namely, it contained bacteria
resistant to linezolid, which is an antibiotic of last resort.
Spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Genetic sequencing
revealed that some of these bacteria in the raw dog food were of the same type
as those found in hospital patients.
Practically, with those
found in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.
According to the statement
by researcher Ana Freitas, there is an international public health risk mainly
related to the human's close contact with dogs.
She also added that the European
authorities must make people aware of the potential health risks when feeding
raw pet food.
Or when manufacturing dog
food, including hygiene practices, the selection of ingredients must be
reviewed.
In addition to that, dog
owners must wash their hands after handling pet food and disposing of dog
excrement.
Bacteria transmitting between dogs and owners
In another study carried
out by a Portuguese team tested pet owners and animals from about 80 households
for bacteria carrying the MCR-1 gene.
That offers resistance to
the antibiotic of last resort colistin.
In the level of a separate
research, they say that resistance to a last-resort
antibiotic can be transmitted between pet dogs and their owners.
According to the study
results, 126 humans were healthy, while half of the 102 pets sampled had urinary
tract or skin infections.
Four humans and eight dogs
tested positive for MCR-1 carrier bacteria, and in two outbreaks the gene was
found in both the dog and its owner.
Finally, she reported that
genetic analysis of the various samples studied suggested that.:
In one of the two cases, the gene had been passed between the animal and the owner.
Furthermore, the gene was
thought to have passed directly from dogs to humans.
This has raised concerns
that pets could spread resistance to last-resort antibiotics.
Antibiotic resistance is
one of the greatest public health threats facing humanity, according to word
human organization (WHO).
Drug-resistant infections
kill around 700,000 people a year worldwide.
The UN has warned that
this could rise to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken.
