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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1378346
This article is part of the Research Topic Insights in Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics: 2023 View all 5 articles

Non-traditional small companion mammals in Spain as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant Staphylococci

Provisionally accepted
Ana Marco-Fuertes Ana Marco-Fuertes 1Clara Marin Clara Marin 1José Villora-Gonzalez José Villora-Gonzalez 2Concepción Gimeno Concepción Gimeno 3,4Violeta Artal-Muñoz Violeta Artal-Muñoz 3Santiago Vega Santiago Vega 1*Laura Montoro-Dasi Laura Montoro-Dasi 1*
  • 1 Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
  • 2 Selvatica Clínica Veterinaria de Animales Exóticos, Valencia, Spain
  • 3 Servicio de Microbiología, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Spain
  • 4 University of Valencia, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multidrug resistance (MDR) in microorganisms poses a significant concern in both human and veterinary medicine. Non-traditional companion animals (NTCAs), particularly popular among households with children, play a crucial role in AMR epidemiology due to their rising population. Indeed, it is known that some of these animals may act as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens and thus be able to spread and transmit them to family members, along with their AMR, through their shared environment. It is therefore imperative to address this concern with the involvement of human, animal and environmental health professionals. This pilot study aimed to assess the prevalence and AMR patterns of Staphylococcus spp. strains obtained from commensal mucosal and skin infection samples in NTC small mammals, with a focus on strains like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. (MRS) that are critical in public health. For this purpose, 81 animals of different small mammal species were sampled, assessing antimicrobial susceptibility to 26 relevant antimicrobial agents (AMAs) in human health using minimum inhibitory concentration assays, and interpreting them according to EUCAST and CLSI guidelines. The isolated Staphylococci strains were identified by MALDI-TOF, with the predominant species being Mammalicoccus sciuri and Staphylococcus aureus. Including all strains isolated, AMR was observed against all 26 AMAs, including six last-resort AMAs in human medicine. Additionally, over 85 % of the strains exhibited MDR. These findings underscore the need to monitor AMR and MDR trends in companion animals and emphasise the potential role of NTCAs in spreading resistance to humans, other animals, and their shared environment, calling for a comprehensive "One Health" approach.

    Keywords: antimicrobial resistance, Methicillin Resistance, non-traditional companion animals, Small mammals, Staphylococcus spp

    Received: 29 Jan 2024; Accepted: 26 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Marco-Fuertes, Marin, Villora-Gonzalez, Gimeno, Artal-Muñoz, Vega and Montoro-Dasi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Santiago Vega, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain
    Laura Montoro-Dasi, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain, Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, Spain

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