A study suggests that pets may transmit drug-resistant superbugs to their owners.
Cats and dogs can spread bacteria to humans through licks, nips, scratches, and faeces, but the danger is low.
Nonetheless, they may influence the proliferation of superbugs.
Researchers in the United Kingdom and Portugal wished to determine if canines treated with antibiotics for skin, tissue, and urinary tract infections transmitted their pathogens to their owners.
They collected fecal samples from 43 pets and 78 people in 43 households in Portugal, as well as from 7 canines and 8 people in 7 households in the United Kingdom. The investigation focused on antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In six Portuguese residences, the DNA of a superbug isolated from one cat and five dogs were identical to that of their owners, indicating that the bacteria were likely transmitted between animals and humans. In the UK, this was observed in one canine and its owner. It is unknown if the microbes were transmitted from humans to animals or vice versa.
However, University of Lisbon study chief Juliana Menezes said pets should be included in antimicrobial resistance studies.
Globally, drug-resistant infections now kill approximately 700,000 individuals per year.
