Pet foods are dangerous!

Monika R, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore

Most people are pet lovers, especially crazy about dogs. This is because as said by George Eliot, “Animals are such a pleasant and cheerful friend as they ask no questions and pass no criticism”. So, humans have shared their lives with animals, as they’re the best companions from time immemorial. As per research, it’s obvious that interacting with a pet can have a positive effect on us and the people around us too.

So, as there has been a rise in the number of pets recently, pet owners also are concerned about feeding proper food to them. This has led to an exponential growth of the industrial pet food sector.

But research has been presented recently at ECCMID (European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases), to know whether raw pet food could be a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could spread to humans, and to understand, whether their virulent genes cause human infection. 

Is pet food a source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

Dr Freitas and colleagues from UCIBIO, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Portugal, researched to find out if pet foods are a major source of the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. They analyzed dog food from supermarkets and pet shops for Enterococci, an opportunistic bacteria, which lives harmlessly in the guts of humans and animals until it spreads to other parts of the body. 

“For the study, we considered 55 samples of dog food (14 raw-frozen, 4 semi-wet, 8 dries, 22 wets, 7 treats) from 25 brands available nationally and internationally,” said Dr Freitas. The raw-frozen pet foods included chicken, lamb, goose, duck, salmon, turkey, beef, and vegetables.

Enterococci were present in 30 samples (14 raw-frozen, 16 heat-treated, 7 dries, 6 wets, 3 treats), which is nearly about 54% of the food. Quite 40% of the Enterococci were resistant to the antibiotics like erythromycin, tetracycline, quinupristin-dalfopristin, streptomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin or ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, and teicoplanin.

So, as a final hope, linezolid – a last-resort antibiotic was used, which is considered by WHO as a critically important treatment for severe infections when other drugs have failed. 23% of the enterococci were found resistant to linezolid too.

The study revealed that only 3 of the non-raw samples contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria, whereas all of the raw dog food samples contained antibiotic-resistant Enterococci, which is also resistant to the last-resort drugs.

Through this, Dr Freitas and colleagues finalized that, “Raw pet foods are the major source of multidrug-resistant bacteria.”

Do these bacteria spread to humans?

From genetic sequencing, it’s been obvious that some of the multi-drug resistant bacteria like E. faecium and E. faecalis, which were present in the raw dog food were identical to the bacteria isolated from hospital patients in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Those bacteria were also found to be genetically similar to the bacteria in livestock and wastewater in the UK.

So, from this study, the researchers conclude that dog food isn’t only a major source of antibiotic-resistance bacteria but could also potentially spread to humans. They also added that dog food could be a fuel of antibiotic resistance.

To control this issue

It has been estimated globally that each year 700,000 people die due to drug-resistant infections and if no further action is taken then this could rise to 10 million by 2050. The WHO classifies antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest public health threats and if these kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria last evolving, then it may also lead to a pandemic situation.

As feeding raw food to pets may be fuelling the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, awareness must be raised about the potential health risks. Pet owners right after handling pet food should sanitize their hands. Pet food manufacturing industries, including ingredient selection and hygiene practices, must also be reviewed to prevent this situation from becoming the next pandemic.

Also read: The emergence of the Kappa variant of SARS-CoV-2

Source:

• Finisterra, L., Duarte, B., Peixe, L., Novais, C., & Freitas, A. R. (2021). Industrial dog food is a vehicle of multidrug-resistant enterococci carrying virulence genes often linked to human infections. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 109284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109284
• Microbiology, E. S. of C., & Diseases, I. (n.d.). Dog food sold across Europe contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including “superbugs” found in hospital patients. Retrieved July 11, 2021, from https://phys.org/news/2021-07-dog-food-sold-europe-antibiotic-resistant.html

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About the author: Monika Raman is an undergraduate student pursuing her final year B. Tech in Biotechnology. She is an enthusiastic Biotech student aspiring for an opportunity to develop skills and grow professionally in the research field. Extremely motivated and possess strong interpersonal skills.