Carriage of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius by clinically normal dogs in Canterbury, New Zealand

• Published in: New Zealand veterinary journal Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 33 - 36
• Main Authors: Wilkinson, DA, Rogers, LE, Bell, A, Benschop, J, Midwinter, AC
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 02-01-2023
• ISSN: 0048-0169; 1176-0710
• DOI: 10.1080/00480169.2022.2129855

AIMSTo investigate the frequency of carriage of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) in a population of clinically normal dogs within the Christchurch and wider Canterbury region, an area in which MRSP has been detected. METHODSBuccal and perianal swabs were collected from 126 clinically normal dogs presenting at veterinary clinics in the Christchurch/Canterbury region for de-sexing or routine vaccination. S. pseudintermedius was isolated by selective culture. Isolates were tested for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials by disc diffusion. RESULTSS. pseudintermedius was isolated from 92/126 (73.0 (95% CI = 64.4-80.5)%) dogs, with 38/126 (30.2 (95% CI = 22.3-39.0)%) positive dogs carrying S. pseudintermedius at both sampled sites. More animals (78/126; 61.9 (95% CI = 52.8-70.4)%) had positive mouth cultures than positive perianal region cultures (52/126; 41.3 (95% CI = 32.6-50.4)%). No MRSP was isolated from clinically normal dogs. However, resistance to penicillin (106/130 (85.1%) swabs) and tetracycline (33/130 (25.4%) swabs) was seen. CONCLUSIONSThe majority of the dogs in this sample were carriers of S. pseudintermedius. However, none of these isolates were MRSP. CLINICAL RELEVANCEWhile most clinically normal dogs in the studied region are likely to be carriers of S. pseudintermedius, only a small proportion, if any, are likely to be carriers of MRSP. Antibiotic stewardship practices may be important to maintain low-level circulation of drug-resistant bacterial lineages.