Feeding Dogs Raw Meat Increases the Risk of Antibiotic-Resistant E. coli
Published:28 Dec.2023 Source:University of Bristol
E. coli are found in the intestines of people and animals quite normally and can be passed between them, usually through poor domestic hygiene, e.g. after using the toilet or handling food contaminated with faecal material, including uncooked meat. Once a person swallows some E. coli, these bacteria can sit in their intestines for years before causing an infection. When E. coli is resistant to important antibiotics like ciprofloxacin, infections are more difficult to treat, meaning patients are more likely to be hospitalised and die.
E. coli, which can cause food poisoning, is also the UK's most common cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections, which can be life-threatening. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, which are used to treat a range of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The World Health Organisation classes these antibiotics among the highest-priority critically important antibiotics. In the UK, reduced ciprofloxacin use by GPs has led to a decrease in ciprofloxacin resistance in E. coli from human infections.
A study, published in One Health, looked for ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli carried in the intestines of 600 healthy pet dogs. The researchers asked the dog owners to complete a survey that provided details about their dog, the dog's diet, environments the dog walked in and if the dog had been treated with antibiotics. The microbiology data along with the survey data enabled statistical analysis, which showed that feeding dogs raw (uncooked) meat increases their risk of excreting E. coli that cannot be killed by a widely used antibiotic -- ciprofloxacin.