Scientists are interested in resistance to two antibiotics of critical importance for humans: cephalosporins and carbapenems. When admitted, 4.8% of the dogs were carriers of bacteria resistant to one of these antibiotics. They were 24.8% at the exit. Identical bacteria or genes have been found in dogs with no direct contact as well as in the premises of the clinic. This confirms their transmission at this location, either via the environment or by the nursing staff. ” The role of hospitals in the transmission of bacteria and resistance genes is well known in humans, it is less studied in animals. “, indicates Jean-Yves Madec, head of the antimicrobial resistance and bacterial virulence unit of the Lyon laboratory and co-author of the study.
Since carbapenems are not authorized for dogs, bacteria resistant to this antibiotic were, in all likelihood, initially transmitted by a human being. Likewise, dogs carrying these resistant bacteria could in turn pass them on to their owners. These results are a reminder that the fight against antibiotic resistance also involves the application of measures to prevent the transmission of bacteria between animals and from animals to humans (and vice versa). One of these measures is the systematic washing of hands after touching an animal, and all the more so when it comes back from hospitalization or is under antibiotic treatment.