AUTHOR=Furuya Yukari , Matsuda Mari , Harada Saki , Kumakawa Mio , Shirakawa Takahiro , Uchiyama Mariko , Akama Ryoko , Ozawa Manao , Kawanishi Michiko , Shimazaki Yoko , Sekiguchi Hideto 

TITLE=Nationwide Monitoring of Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. Isolated From Diseased and Healthy Dogs and Cats in Japan

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.916461

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2022.916461

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>The Japanese Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (JVARM) was established for nationwide monitoring of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria isolated from animals. Here, antimicrobial resistance of <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> and <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp. isolates from diseased and healthy dogs and cats was investigated. Isolates were collected from diseased dogs and cats and from healthy dogs and cats in 2018 to 2020. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined for 1873 <italic>E. coli</italic> and 1383 <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp. isolates. <italic>E. coli</italic> isolates were most commonly resistant to nalidixic acid [diseased dog (DD), 62.1%; diseased cat (DC), 59.9%; healthy dog (HD), 23.5%; healthy cat (HC, 24.0%] and ampicillin (DD, 54.4%; DC, 64.1%; HD, 28.4%; HC, 25.2%), followed by ciprofloxacin (DD, 45.0%; DC, 44.0%; HD, 12.9%; HC, 10.4%). <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp. isolates were most resistant to tetracycline (DD, 66.9%; DC, 67.8%; HD, 47.0%; HC, 52.0%), followed by erythromycin (DD, 43.2%; DC, 46.6%; HD, 27.8%; HC, 34.0%) and ciprofloxacin (DD, 27.9%; DC, 43.7%; HD, 9.7%; HC 12.9%). Only a few <italic>E. coli</italic> isolates were resistant to colistin and none were resistant to meropenem. Also, none of the <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp. isolates we have tested were resistant to vancomycin. The significantly higher resistance rates of <italic>E. coli</italic> and <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp. isolates from diseased, as opposed to healthy, dogs and cats against most of the tested antimicrobials indicates that the use of antimicrobials could select resistant <italic>E. coli</italic> and <italic>Enterococcus</italic> spp.</p>