engleski

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus strains isolated from clinical samples of cats and dogs

Bacteria of the genus Enterococcus possess innate resistance to some groups of frequently used antimicrobial drugs. In addition, they have a great ability to acquire new mechanisms of resistance, which can lead to multidrug-resistant isolates. Furthermore, enterococci can transfer their acquired resistance to other bacteria, both horizontally and vertically. Although they are found as a part of microbiota of animals and humans, their possibility of becoming multidrug-resistant makes them a potential threat to public health. This study investigated the susceptibility of enterococci isolated from clinical samples of cats and dogs in Croatia. Susceptibility testing was evaluated by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test, following the criteria of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Selected antimicrobial drugs were ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin and nitrofurantoin. For determination of high-level aminoglycoside resistance, gentamicin and streptomycin were used. Chosen drugs are commonly used both in veterinary and human medicine. Among the fifty isolates, 22% were susceptible to all tested drugs. Resistance to tetracycline was found in 58% of the tested isolates, resistance to ciprofloxacin in 50%, to ampicillin and nitrofurantoin in 20% and chloramphenicol in 8% of the tested isolates. High-level gentamicin resistance was observed in 6% of the isolates and high-level streptomycin resistance in 12%. Combined resistance to both of the aminoglycosides was seen only in two isolates. In total, twelve of the fifty isolates (24%) were multidrug-resistant (resistant to at least one drug from three or more different groups of antimicrobials). Inappropriate and excessive use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine can influence developing of new strains of bacteria that are not treatable with currently known antimicrobials. Since the transfer of resistant bacteria and resistance genes from animals to humans is well known, presence of multidrug-resistant enterococci in pets represents a serious threat to human health.

Enterococcus ; Antimicrobial susceptibility ; Dogs ; Cats

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