The Occurrence of Multidrug Resistant Bacteria in the Urine of Healthy Dogs and Dogs with Cystitis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Antimicrobial resistance is a global health issue. The “One Health” concept describes animals and environments playing an important role in the resistance to antimicrobials. In this study, we survey healthy companion animals (dogs) as a potential source of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, and compare them with dogs with cystitis. Both groups have a similar isolated genus profile and frequency of multidrug resistance. In our study, both healthy and cystitis animals were found to be carriers of MDR bacteria. ABSTRACT: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the occurrence of microorganisms, the antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and the presence of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the urine of clinically healthy dogs and dogs with cystitis. The urine was collected through cystocentesis. Subsequently, culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed. The isolates were classified based on their resistance profile, to evaluate the presence of MDR bacteria. Statistical analyses were performed using the chi-squared or Fisher’s exact tests. Bacterial isolates were present in 24.39% of the dogs in the control group, and 60.27% of the dogs in the cystitis group. The cystitis group was associated with a higher risk of bacterial isolates than the control group (odds ratio = 7.5; 95% confidence interval = 2.81–22.40). The main isolates were Staphylococcus spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., and Enterobacter spp. in both groups. A high percentage of isolates were resistant to ampicillin in both groups. The lowest resistance presented by the isolates in both groups was to meropenem. Only the resistance to quinolones was different between the groups. The proportions of MDR isolates were 70% (7/10) and 65.91% (29/44) in the control and cystitis groups, respectively. The results showed the presence of MDR bacteria in the urine of both the healthy dogs, and the dogs with cystitis. The drug resistance was high, reinforcing the importance of establishing an effective treatment approach against urinary tract infections in pets, to minimize the spread of bacterial resistance and its impact on public health.