High prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance among bacterial isolates from diseased pets: Retrospective laboratory data (2015-2017)

PLoS One. 2022 Dec 7;17(12):e0277664. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277664. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Laboratory surveillance and the monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends and patterns among local isolates have been highly effective in providing comprehensive information for public health decision-making. A total of 396 cases along with 449 specimens were received for antibiotic susceptibility testing at a public university veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Malaysia between 2015 and 2017. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated (n = 101, 13%) bacteria, followed by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n = 97, 12%) and Streptococcus canis (n = 62, 8%). In cats, S. pseudintermedius isolates were highly resistant to azithromycin (90%), while the E. coli isolates were highly resistant to doxycycline (90%), tetracycline (81%), and cephalexin (75%). About 55% of S. pseudintermedius and 82% of E. coli were multi-drug resistant (MDR). In dogs, S. intermedius isolates were highly resistant to aminoglycosides neomycin (90.9%) and gentamicin (84.6%), and tetracycline (75%). Whereas the E. coli isolates were highly resistant to cephalexin (82.1%) and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (76.5%). MDR was observed in 60% of S. intermedius and 72% of E. coli from dogs. Generally, the bacterial isolates from cats demonstrated higher levels of resistance to multiple antibiotics compared to those from dogs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple
  • Escherichia coli*
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents

Grants and funding

This research project was part of a Master’s research study undertaken in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and was funded by the UPM Research Grant number GP – IPB/2019/9676500, awarded to LH. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.