The microbial communities on the skin of dogs include several species of bacteria, which contribute to skin health and disease. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, cultured at high frequency from the skin of dogs, is an opportunistic pathogen causing superficial pyoderma. Effective treatment against S. pseudintermedius infections is an important issue in veterinary medicine. However, multiple antibiotic-resistant mechanisms gradually developed by bacteria make treatment more challenging nowadays. Drug-resistant genes may have the chance to be transferred from infected dogs to other staphylococci in humans. The objective of this survey is to investigate the bacterial species that cause canine superficial pyoderma and characterize the antibiotic-resistant profiles and drug-resistant genes of isolated S. pseudintermedius. In addition, the possible risk factors causing S. pseudintermedius colonizing owners were also evaluated by a questionnaire survey. Sixty-five bacteria were isolated from dogs with superficial pyoderma, which included 47 S. pseudintermedius (72.3%), 12 other staphylococci (18.5%), 4 other Gram-positive bacteria (6.2%) and 2 Gram-negative bacteria (3.1%). Strains containing mecA and blaZ genes showed multiple-drug resistance characteristics. Dogs that received antimicrobial treatment within a recent month were at significantly higher risk of MRSP infections. Only five S. pseudintermedius strains (8.33%) were isolated from 60 samples of owners. Risk factor analysis indicated there was no significant association between S. pseudintermedius isolated from dogs and owners, but the "Keeping three or more dogs" and "Dogs can lick the owner's face" have high odds ratios of 3.503 and 5.712, respectively. MRSP isolates belonged to three different dru types, including dt11y (29.41%), dt11a (47.06%) and dt10cp (23.53%). In conclusion, the major pathogen of canine superficial pyoderma is found to be S. pseudintermedius in Taiwan, and isolates which are mecA- or blaZ-positive are generally more resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Although S. pseudintermedius isolated from the owners might be transferred from their dogs, definite risk factors should be examined in the future study.
Keywords: MRSP; Staphylococcus pseudintermedius; dru type; owners; risk factors; superficial pyoderma.