An investigation of household dogs as the source in a case of human bacteraemia caused by Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.

Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a commensal and an opportunistic pathogen in dogs, and is also an opportunistic pathogen in humans. Here we report about a case of bacteraemia with a fatal outcome in a 77-year-old co-morbid male likely caused by a S. pseudintermedius and the investigation into the possible transmission from the two dogs in the patient's household. The two dogs carried the same S. pseudintermedius strain, but this dog strain was unrelated to the strain from the patient. In contrast to the patient strain, the dog strain showed reduced susceptibility to several antibiotics and both dogs had received antibiotic treatment prior to sampling. So, it is conceivable that these treatments can have eliminated the patient's strain between the transmission event and the dog sampling. It is also worth noting that the patient strain was positive for the expA gene, which encodes an exfoliative toxin closely related to the S. aureus exfoliative toxin B. This toxin has been linked to canine pyoderma, but its effect on humans remains unknown. Transmission of S. pseudintermedius was confirmed in the household between the dogs. However, we could not verify that the dogs were the source for the S. pseudintermedius in the patient.

Low occurrence of extended-spectrum cephalosporinase producing Enterobacteriaceae and no detection of methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci in healthy dogs in Sweden.

Sweden has a long tradition of monitoring occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in both animals and humans, but there currently is no organised and harmonized monitoring on carriage of Enterobacteriaceae producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamase (pAmpC), or methicillin-resistant coagulase positive staphylococci e.g. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) in dogs. The aim of the current study was therefore to determine the prevalence of ESBL/pAmpC producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant coagulase positive staphylococci in healthy dogs in Sweden, and to phenotypically and genotypically characterize any identified isolates. It was shown that 0.9% (95% confident interval 0.3-2.7%) of the dogs (n = 325) carried multi-resistant ESBL-producing Escherichia coli, but that no methicillin-resistant coagulase positive staphylococci could be detected. In conclusion, the occurrence of multi-drug resistant bacteria remains rare among healthy dogs in Sweden. In addition, the ESBL-producing E. coli identified showed genetic characteristics related to those reported from humans.

Association between radiographic assessment of hip status and subsequent incidence of veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia in insured Swedish dogs.

Our objective was to evaluate the association between grading of hip status as assessed by radiographic examination (hip screening) and subsequent incidence of veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia (HD) in five breeds of insured dogs in Sweden. Screening results for hip status from the Swedish Kennel Club and data on veterinary care and mortality from the insurance company Agria were merged based on the registration number of the dog. Dogs of five breeds (Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers) screened during 1995-2004 and covered by an insurance plan for veterinary care or life at the time of screening were included. The study populations included between 1667 and 10,663 dogs per breed. Breed-specific multivariable Cox proportional-hazards analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of radiographic hip status on time from hip screening to first HD-related veterinary and life claim, respectively. The effects of gender, birth season, and a time-varying covariate of year were also studied. Additional analyses, on the five breeds combined, were performed to investigate the effects of hip status, breed, and the interaction between hip status and breed. The effect of hip status was highly significant (P<0.001) for both life and veterinary claims related to HD in all five breeds with increased hazard ratio (HR) for deteriorating hip status. Dogs with moderate or severe hip status at screening had a markedly increased hazard of HD-related veterinary care and mortality compared with dogs assessed as free or mild. The time-varying covariate of year showed a significantly higher HR in the last time period for German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers in the analyses of veterinary claims. In the analyses on all five breeds, German Shepherds had the highest HR for both veterinary care and mortality related to HD, followed by Bernese Mountain Dogs. Golden and Labrador Retrievers had the lowest HR. The effect of hip status on the hazard was the same irrespective of breed. However, as a consequence of differences between breeds in overall risk, the predictive ability of screening results for subsequent incidence of HD-related problems for individual dogs was breed-dependent. Based on the strong association between radiographic hip status and incidence of HD-related veterinary care and mortality, and the previously reported moderate heritability of hip status, we conclude that selection based on screening results for hip status can be expected to reduce the risk of HD-related clinical problems.

Insurance data for research in companion animals: benefits and limitations.

The primary aim of this article is to review the use of animal health insurance data in the scientific literature, especially in regard to morbidity or mortality in companion animals and horses. Methods and results were compared among studies on similar health conditions from different nations and years. A further objective was to critically evaluate benefits and limitations of such databases, to suggest ways to maximize their utility and to discuss the future use of animal insurance data for research purposes. Examples of studies on morbidity, mortality and survival estimates in dogs and horses, as well as neoplasia in dogs, are discussed.We conclude that insurance data can and should be used for research purposes in companion animals and horses. Insurance data have been successfully used, e.g. to quantify certain features that may have been hitherto assumed, but unmeasured. Validation of insurance databases is necessary if they are to be used in research. This must include the description of the insured population and an evaluation of the extent to which it represents the source population. Data content and accuracy must be determined over time, including the accuracy/consistency of diagnostic information. Readers must be cautioned as to limitations of the databases and, as always, critically appraise findings and synthesize information with other research. Similar findings from different study designs provide stronger evidence than a sole report. Insurance data can highlight common, expensive and severe conditions that may not be evident from teaching hospital case loads but may be significant burdens on the health of a population.

Clinical efficacy of selamectin in the treatment of naturally acquired infection of sucking lice (Linognathus setosus) in dogs.

A clinical study was performed in 21 dogs to evaluate the efficacy of selamectin for the treatment of naturally acquired infection of sucking lice (Linognathus setosus [L.setosus]) in dogs. Each dog was randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. One group was treated with selamectin applied topically at a mean dosage of 7.9 mg/kg. The other group was treated with permethrin applied topically at a mean dosage of 85.7 mg/kg. At day 42 posttreatment, all animals remaining in the study (10 treated with selamectin and six with permethrin) were clear of lice. In both groups, the reduction in lice counts from pretreatment values to day 42 was statistically significant at P< or =0.0001. Selamectin applied topically appeared to be effective against L. setosus infection in dogs.

Efficacy of selamectin in the treatment of nasal mite (Pneumonyssoides caninum) infection in dogs.

In a laboratory study to evaluate the efficacy of selamectin for treatment of canine nasal mite infection, 12 purpose-bred beagles were experimentally infected with Pneumonyssoides caninum (P. caninum). Six of the dogs were treated with selamectin applied to the skin of the back at dosages of 6 to 24 mg/kg for three times at 2-week intervals. The remaining six dogs were an untreated control group. At necropsy 39 to 46 days after inoculation, no P. caninum mites were found in any of the treated dogs. In contrast, nasal mites were found in five of the untreated dogs. This difference was statistically significant at P=0.015.