Antibiotic resistant superbugs can jump from cats and dogs to their owners, a new study has warned.
Researchers have discovered evidence that multidrug-resistant bacteria is being passed from sick pets to their healthy owners in the UK and Portugal through touch, kisses, and picking up pet poo. These dangerous drug-resistant infections kill more than 1.2 million people a year globally and have been classified by the World Health Organisation as "one of the greatest public health threats facing humanity".
The team from the University of Lisbon tested samples of skin, urine and faeces from cats, dogs, and their owners for Enterobacterales - a large family of bacteria which includes E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, the cause of bacterial pneumonia, which are resistant to common antibiotics.
The study, to be presented at the ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona, Spain, involved five cats, 38 dogs and 78 humans across 43 households in Portugal and 22 dogs and 56 humans from 22 households in the UK. All of the humans were healthy, and all the animals had skin and soft tissue infections or urinary tract infections.
In five households, one with a cat and four with dogs, both pet and owner were found to be carrying Enterobacterales of the same strain, suggesting that the bacteria was passed between pet and owner. The team note that the timing of the positive tests strongly suggests it was passed from the pets to the humans, rather than the other way around.
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They say that the bacteria can be passed via petting, touching or kissing and through the handling of faeces. To prevent transmission, the researchers recommend owners practice good hygiene, including washing their hands after petting their dog or cat and after handling their waste.
Lead researcher and doctoral student Juliana Menezes, from the Antibiotic Resistance Lab at the University of Lisbon, said: "Understanding and addressing the transmission of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria from pets to humans is essential for effectively combating antimicrobial resistance in both human and animal populations. Our findings underline the importance of including pet-owning households in national programmes that monitor levels of antibiotic resistance.
"Learning more about the resistance in pets would aid in the development of informed and targeted interventions to safeguard both animal and human health. When your pet is unwell, consider isolating them in one room to prevent the spread of bacteria throughout the house and clean the other rooms thoroughly."
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