Aerococcus viridans and Public Health: Oral Carriage and Antimicrobial Resistance in Stray Dogs and Cats in Algeria.

The current study aimed to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of oral Aerococcus viridans in stray dogs and cats in Algeria. Oral swabs from 200 stray animals (100 dogs and 100 cats) were collected and cultured on Columbia agar medium supplemented with 5% defibrinated sheep blood. Isolates were identified using analytical profile index Rapid 20 Strep commercial kits, and antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method. Of the 200 animals sampled, 34 carried A. viridans in their oral cavities, with 26 isolates (76.47%) resistant to at least 2 drugs. Multidrug resistance profiles (to more than three different antimicrobials) were observed only in cats (26.08% of isolates). More isolates were resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline (71% and 65%, respectively) than to other antimicrobials. This is the first research study in Algeria detecting antimicrobial resistance in oral A. viridans isolated from dogs and cats and highlights potential public health concerns. Clinical trials registration number: 01/2018.

Oral flora of stray dogs and cats in Algeria: Pasteurella and other zoonotic bacteria.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Knowledge of potentially pathogenic bacteria presents in the oral cavity of dogs and cats may be helpful in determining appropriate treatment for infected bite wounds. About 120.000 people are exposed to dog and cat bites every year in Algeria, but little is known about the dog and cat oral flora causing bite wound complications. The purpose of this study was to identify potential zoonotic bacteria from oral cavity of dogs and cats and to determine their susceptibility to antibiotics to contribute to the treatment of bite wound infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oral swabs from 100 stray dogs and 100 stray cats were collected and cultured in several media: Chocolate agar, MacConkey agar, and Mannitol Salt Agar. Bacterial isolates were identified using several commercial kits of the analytical profile index and tested for antibiotic susceptibility by disk diffusion method. RESULTS: Overall, 185/200 (92.5%) dogs and cats carried zoonotic bacteria in their mouths, of which 55.13% (102/185) had at least two bacterial pathogens. 374 pathogenic strains belonging to 15 genera were isolated: Eleven were Gram-negative (Proteus, Pasteurella, Escherichia, Moraxella, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, and Neisseria Haemophilus) and four were Gram-positive (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Corynebacterium, Bacillus). Fifty-one strains of Pasteurella were isolated from 44 carriers of Pasteurella (21 Pasteurella multocida, 21 Pasteurella pneumotropica, and 9 Pasteurella spp.). Pasteurella strains were tested for antibiotic resistance. Resistance to at least one drug was observed in 8 (15.68%) of Pasteurella isolates and two strains (3.92%) were found to be multidrug-resistant (to two or more drugs). Erythromycin, penicillin, and ampicillin were the antimicrobials to which the isolates showed greater resistance (7.84%, 5.88%, and 3.92%, respectively). CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first in Algeria to detect potential human pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity of dogs and cats. It reveals that these animals have multiple zoonotic bacteria in their mouths including Pasteurella species, which may be multidrug-resistant.