Publication Database

Occurrence and characterization of Clostridioides difficile in small companion animals and their owners (2019)

Art

Hochschulschrift

Autor

Rabold, Denise (WE 7)

Quelle

Berlin, 2019 — v, 93, XVII Seiten

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/25969

Kontakt

Institut für Mikrobiologie und Tierseuchen

Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 51843 / 66949
mikrobiologie@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

The objective of the study “Occurrence and characterization of Clostridioides difficile in small companion animals and their owners” was to assess the significance of Clostridioides (C.) difficile within the community with regard to its possible zoonotic impact. Therefore, 1,447 faecal samples were collected to determine the occurrence of C. difficile in small companion animals (dogs and cats) and their owners in the first large-scale Germany-wide survey. PCR ribotyping, Multilocus VNTR Analysis (MLVA) and PCR detection of toxin genes were used to characterize isolated C. difficile strains. Thereby, the role of animals carrying human pathogenic strains was to be explained unravelling whether animals serve as an infectious source for human C. difficile infections (CDI). Additionally, a database was defined and logistic regression used to identify putative factors associated with faecal shedding of C. difficile in humans and companion animals to further elucidate epidemiological dynamics of CDI. The isolation rates of C. difficile in German dogs, cats and their owners were quite similar and low (between 2.5 and 3.0%). Isolate pairs from humans and animals sharing the same household could not be detected. However, identical RTs were isolated from partner cats in two independent households; this indicates that intra-species transmission or at least acquisition of C. difficile from the same source is possible. Additionally, well known human RTs like RT 010, the hospital-associated lineage RT 014/0, and the highly virulent RTs 027 and 078 also occur in small companion animals suggesting at least a common source of infection. Furthermore, the canine RT 027 isolate is of particular interest since this is the first report on this RT in a dog outside Canada. The analysis of factors associated with C. difficile-positivity showed that already previously defined risk factors for C. difficile colonization or infection in humans also apply in companion animals. Dogs and cats were at a higher risk for faecal shedding of C. difficile when they were middle-aged or older, suffered from inappetence or acute disease, were regularly treated with proton pump inhibitors or had been medicated with antibiotics within the last three months prior study participation. Moreover, the contact to a person with diarrhoea and sharing the household with an animal owner who is chronically sick significantly increased the chances for small companion animals to be affected by C. difficile. Anyhow, the finding that the consumption of dry feedstuffs had a protective effect on dogs or cats with regard to C. difficile-positivity was surprising. Although the source of infection for CDI could not be defined and intake of certain food was not significantly associated within the study population examined here, single variables indicate an impact of interaction between animals and humans on the C. difficile epidemiology. Interestingly, despite the assumption that animals might serve as an infectious source for human CDI, the results presented here may also suggest the opposite. Even though a definite zoonotic link was not found it cannot be excluded either. Therefore, further studies involving human and animal participants are necessary to define possible sources of C. difficile acquisition and to prove its zoonotic character. In conclusion, the results described in this study were suitable to gain more insights into the epidemiology of the community-associated occurrence of C. difficile in small companion animals and their owners.