Bacteriuria in Cystocentesis Samples from Cats in the United Kingdom: Prevalence, Bacterial Isolates, and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Bacterial urinary tract infections are one of the most important reasons for the use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine. Prevalence and resistance can vary greatly with geographical location and are poorly reported for the UK. This study investigated the prevalence of positive cultures in a population of cats with urine samples collected by cystocentesis and submitted to a laboratory in the UK, as well as the isolated bacterial species and their antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance to commonly used antibiotics. ABSTRACT: Bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs) have historically been reported to be uncommon in cats; however, recent studies showed a higher prevalence. Bacterial UTIs are one of the most common reasons for the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of positive cultures in urine samples submitted to a UK laboratory for testing, as well as prevalence of bacterial species and their antimicrobial susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. This was a retrospective analysis of positive cultures from feline urine samples collected by cystocentesis submitted over 14 months (January 2018–February 2019). A total of 2712 samples were reviewed, of which 425 documented a positive culture (15.7%) with a total of 444 bacterial isolates. E. coli (43.7%), other Enterobacterales (26.4%), Enterococcus species (14.9%) and Staphylococcus species (9.2%) were the most commonly isolated bacteria. E. coli most commonly showed resistance to cephalexin (20.7%) and amoxicillin (16.7%). Resistance was most commonly seen against amoxicillin (64.1%) and cephalexin (52.2%) in Enterobacterales. Enterococcus species most commonly showed resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (94.3%). Staphylococcus species most commonly showed resistance to amoxicillin (20%). This study showed significant resistance of bacteria found in feline urine samples in the UK to frequently used antibiotics.