Report: Pets Could Be Source Of Superbug Transmission
- 8 years ago
Numerous bacteria are showing an increasing resistance to antibiotics, and a new study identifies one potential superbug source – people’s pets.
Numerous bacteria are showing an increasing resistance to antibiotics, and a new study identifies one potential superbug source – people’s pets.
The paper, led by Chinese researchers, focuses on the mcr-1 gene which enables bacteria to survive colistin, often called an “antibiotic of last resort.”
In one case profile, a 50-year-old male "with a kidney inflammation had an infection with E. coli bacteria carrying the dreaded mcr-1 gene," reports NBC News. Two cats and four dogs at his work tested positive for the gene. All six animals were found to be resistant to colistin and several other antibiotics.
Because the bacterial strains in the man were genetically related to those found in some of the store’s dogs, the researchers suspect that there was a “possible transmission of mcr-1–harboring E. coli between dogs and the patient.”
As a result, they state in the paper, “These findings suggest that mcr-1–producing E. coli can colonize companion animals and be transferred between companion animals and humans.”
In addition to pets, superbugs have also been found in some livestock which could present another means of transmission to humans, notes the Washington Post.
Numerous bacteria are showing an increasing resistance to antibiotics, and a new study identifies one potential superbug source – people’s pets.
The paper, led by Chinese researchers, focuses on the mcr-1 gene which enables bacteria to survive colistin, often called an “antibiotic of last resort.”
In one case profile, a 50-year-old male "with a kidney inflammation had an infection with E. coli bacteria carrying the dreaded mcr-1 gene," reports NBC News. Two cats and four dogs at his work tested positive for the gene. All six animals were found to be resistant to colistin and several other antibiotics.
Because the bacterial strains in the man were genetically related to those found in some of the store’s dogs, the researchers suspect that there was a “possible transmission of mcr-1–harboring E. coli between dogs and the patient.”
As a result, they state in the paper, “These findings suggest that mcr-1–producing E. coli can colonize companion animals and be transferred between companion animals and humans.”
In addition to pets, superbugs have also been found in some livestock which could present another means of transmission to humans, notes the Washington Post.