title: Antimicrobial resistance in commensal faecal Escherichia coli of hospitalised horses.
abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of hospitalisation and antimicrobial drug administration on the prevalence of resistance in commensal faecal E. coli of horses. Faecal samples were collected from ten hospitalised horses treated with antimicrobials, ten hospitalised horses not treated with antimicrobials and nine non-hospitalised horses over a consecutive five day period and susceptibility testing was performed on isolated E. coli. Results revealed that hospitalisation alone was associated with increased prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance in commensal E. coli of horses. Due to the risk of transfer of resistance between commensal and pathogenic bacteria, veterinarians need to be aware of possible resistance in commensal bacteria when treating hospitalised horses.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Clinical Studies, UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. bryanjill@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.forename: Nola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leonard
authors.forename: Séamus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Vivienne
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Duggan