Comparison of clonal relatedness and antimicrobial susceptibility of fecal Escherichia coli from healthy dogs and their owners.
OBJECTIVE
To determine prevalence of within-household sharing of fecal Escherichia coli between dogs and their owners on the basis of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), compare antimicrobial susceptibility between isolates from dogs and their owners, and evaluate epidemiologic features of cross-species sharing by use of a questionnaire.


METHODS
61 healthy dog-owner pairs and 30 healthy control humans.


METHODS
3 fecal E coli colonies were isolated from each participant; PFGE profiles were used to establish relatedness among bacterial isolates. Susceptibility to 17 antimicrobials was determined via disk diffusion. A questionnaire was used to evaluate signalment, previous antimicrobial therapy, hygiene, and relationship with dog.


RESULTS
A wide array of PFGE profiles was observed in E coli isolates from all participants. Within-household sharing occurred with 9.8% prevalence, and across-household sharing occurred with 0.3% prevalence. No behaviors were associated with increased clonal sharing between dog and owner. No differences were found in susceptibility results between dog-owner pairs. Control isolates were more likely than canine isolates to be resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Owners and control humans carried more multdrug-resistant E coli than did dogs.


CONCLUSIONS
Within-household sharing of E coli was detected more commonly than across-household sharing, but both direct contact and environmental reservoirs may be routes of cross-species sharing of bacteria and genes for resistance. Cross-species bacterial sharing is a potential public health concern, and good hygiene is recommended.
Stenske
Katherine A
KA
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Bemis
David A
DA
Gillespie
Barbara E
BE
D'Souza
Doris H
DH
Oliver
Stephen P
SP
Draughon
Francis A
FA
Matteson
Karla J
KJ
Bartges
Joseph W
JW
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006235:Hand Disinfection; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents