Results of urinary bacterial cultures and antibiotic susceptibility testing of dogs and cats in the UK

OBJECTIVES: Bacterial urinary tract infections are a common diagnosis in small animal practice and antibiotics are often administered empirically. The aim of this study was to investigate the aetiology and antibiotic resistance of uropathogens in dogs and cats in the UK. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of uroculture and antibiotic susceptibility testing results (n=808) by disk diffusion processed at a veterinary pathology laboratory between 2011 and 2012. RESULTS: Significant bacteriuria was detected in 18.4% of samples from dogs and 10.0% from cats, most of which (>90%) yielded a single organism. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacterial species (54.7% and 55.6% of feline and canine isolates, respectively) followed by Proteus mirabilis in dog samples (22.7%) and Enterococcus spp. in cat samples (23.2%). Approximately a third of E. coli isolates were resistant to ampicillin but resistance was much lower among Enterococcus spp. and P. mirabilis. Resistance to amoxicillin‐clavulanic acid also seemed to be emerging, particularly in E. coli (almost 20% resistant). In contrast, resistance to trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole for uropathogens remained <13% except for P. mirabilis (19.4%). Overall, fluoroquinolones showed the best in vitro activity (resistance mostly below 10% for enrofloxacin and marbofloxacin). CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Our results provide evidence of the emergence of resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat bacterial urinary tract infections. Continued monitoring of the patterns of antibiotic resistance in uropathogens is needed to assess the adequacy of recommendations on the empiric therapy of these infections.