Active surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in companion animals: A pilot study in a Spanish Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

The role of small animal veterinary hospitals in the onset and dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant organisms (AMROs) is still not clear, and the implementation of an internal surveillance systems is a cost-effective tool to better understand their impact. The aim of this study was to describe a pilot program of active surveillance in a Spanish Veterinary Teaching Hospital, developed to estimate the detection frequency of AMROs in the commensal flora of patients and in the environment. Surveillance was focused on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRS), third generation cephalosporins resistant gram-negative bacteria (3GCR-GNB), and carbapenems-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB). Oral and perirectal swabs were collected in the same dogs and cats hospitalized > 48 h, at their admission and before their discharge. Out of 50 patients sampled, 24% (12/50) were carriers at admission of at least one of the three investigated AMROs. Twenty-eight percent of patients (14/50) acquired at least one AMRO during the hospital stay. MRS detection frequency at admission was 12% (6/50), while acquisition was 6% (3/50). 3GCR-GNB detection frequency was 14% at admission (7/50) and acquisition 22% (11/50), while CR-GNB detection frequency was 2% at admission (1/50) and acquisition 2% (1/50). Environmental surveillance (98 samples) showed a total detection frequency of 22.4% for MRS (22/98), 2% for 3GCR-GNB and CR-GNB (2/98). Clinical staff' shoe soles showed high detection frequency for MRS (50%). 3GCR Escherichia coli was the most isolated species in patients (n = 17). The results show how active surveillance can be used as a tool to assess the impact of AMROs in veterinary hospitals to subsequently build up tailored control plans based on specific issues.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All the authors disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) the work. They all declare that there's no financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity.
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