Antibiotic resistance among fecal indicator bacteria from healthy individually owned and kennel dogs

Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from anal swabs of clinically healthy dogs were examined for the presence of acquired antimicrobial resistance. The strains originated from dogs of 92 different owners and from eight breeding kennels. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the resistance situation in the intestinal flora of the dog to assess the possible role of the dog flora as a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance. Multiple resistance was rarely found in E. coli strains collected from individually owned dogs, in contrast with strains from kennel dogs. Resistance to ampicillin, trimethoprim, and sulfamethoxazole was significantly less prevalent in E. coli from privately owned dogs than in strains from kennel dogs. Resistance rates against tetracycline and macrolides were unexpectedly high in E. faecalis strains. Two and three E. faecalis strains from individually owned dogs and kennel dogs, respectively, were resistant to gentamicin, an antibiotic often used for treating enterococcal infections in humans. This study demonstrates that resistance percentages may fluctuate with the choice of dog population. The observed antimicrobial resistance percentages indicate that the flora of healthy dogs may act as a reservoir of resistance genes.