Watch Out! Researchers Find Cats And Dogs Able To Distribute Antibiotic Kumans To Owners

Illustration. (Unsplash/sarandy westfall)

JAKARTA - Do you have cat or dog pets? If so, it's a good idea to be aware of the transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria originating from the two animals to their owners.

A joint study with the UK-Portugis, which will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Denmark found that six pets in Portugal and one in the UK carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria similar to those found in their owners.

This highlights the importance of including households that have pets, into efforts to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

It is known that antibiotic resistance has reached a very high rate worldwide, with infections immune to drugs that cause around 700.000 deaths per year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest public health threats facing humanity, with the number of deaths expected to increase to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken, as reported by The National News on June 30.

Departing from that, researcher Juliana Mengezes and colleagues from the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Veterinary Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisboa, Portugal, tried to examine whether pets treated with antibiotics for infection infected pathogens that are antibiotic resistant to their owners.

The research team collected and analyzed samples of urine from dogs, cats and their owners to look for Enterobacterales, a large family of bacteria including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, which is resistant to the antibiotics commonly used.

The study involved 43 households in Portugal, with five cats, 38 dogs and 78 humans. As well as seven households in England, with seven dogs and eight humans.

In Portugal, 24 pets and 28 owners were found to have bacteria that are resistant to the third generation of falosporins, antibiotics that are very important for human medicine.

In eight households, both pets and owners carry resistant bacteria, with DNA analysis showing the bacteria may move from animals to humans. However, the direction of the displacement is still unclear.

Meanwhile, in the UK, similar findings were also found, where a dog and its owner carry bacteria that are immune to the third generation of falosporin, carbapenem and several other antibiotic families.

"In this study, we provide evidence that bacteria are resistant to the third generation of falsoporin, very important antibiotics, transmitted from pets to their owners," explained Juliana Menezes, who is a doctoral program student.

Menezes stressed the importance of including pets in an antimicrobial resistance assessment, suggesting that pet owners can reduce the spread of bacteria that are immune to many drugs by practicing a clean lifestyle, such as washing hands after collecting their pet droppings until after stroking them.

It said the study underscores the need for a comprehensive approach to combat antibiotic resistance that not only involves human health care, but also pets.

By understanding the path of bacterial transmission that is resistant to antibiotics, a more effective strategy can be developed to slow the spread of super bacteria and protect the health of humans and animals.