Escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens isolated from environmental sites in companion animal veterinary hospitals in southern Ontario.
Hospital-based infection control in veterinary medicine is emerging and the role of the environment in hospital-acquired infections (HAI) in veterinary hospitals is largely unknown. This study was initiated to determine the recovery of Escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens from the environments of 101 community veterinary hospitals. The proportion of hospitals with positive environmental swabs were: E. coli--92%, Clostridium difficile--58%, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)--9%, CMY-2 producing E. coli--9%, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius--7%, and Salmonella--2%. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp., canine parvovirus, and feline calicivirus were not isolated. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolates was low. Important potential veterinary and human pathogens were recovered including Canadian epidemic strains MRSA-2 and MRSA-5, and C. difficile ribotype 027. There is an environmental reservoir of pathogens in veterinary hospitals; therefore, additional studies are required to characterize risk factors associated with HAI in companion animals, including the role of the environment.
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. cmurph02@uoguelph.ca
Colleen P
CP
Murphy
Richard J
RJ
Reid-Smith
Patrick
P
Boerlin
J Scott
JS
Weese
John F
JF
Prescott
Nicol
N
Janecko
Lori
L
Hassard
Scott A
SA
McEwen
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002415:Cats; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D004285:Dogs; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009864:Ontario; D015047:Zoonoses
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents