Antimicrobial Resistance: Epidemiology and Implications for Veterinary Medicine

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Antibiotics in Animal Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 854

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Univer-sidade Federal Fluminense 101, Professor Hernani Melo St, Building E, lab 611, Niterói 24210-130, Brazil
Interests: Staphylococcus; antimicrobial resistance; molecular epidemiology; biofilms
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Departamento de Microbiologia Médica, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil
Interests: C. difficile; epidemiology; virulence; genomics; proteomics; alternative treatments for CDI
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the growing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance has posed a global threat to human and animal health. Human–animal interactions contribute to the exchange of genetic material between microorganisms and reinforce the dissemination of multi-resistant bacteria. An understanding of the importance of the zoonotic transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacterial strains can help to slow their spread and ensure human and animal health. Cases of different species of wild and companion animals carrying these antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms in their respective habitats have already been reported. The increased incidence of human infection with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has resulted in increased awareness and concern regarding this phenomenon in animal hosts. Thus, it is very important that we continuously monitor and report the isolation of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, as well as suggesting control measurements for combating antimicrobial resistance not only among animals but also in a wider One Health context.

Prof. Dr. Bruno de araujo Penna
Dr. Eliane De Oliveira Ferreira
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • One Health
  • epidemiology
  • transmission
  • zoonoses

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 512 KiB  
Article
Frequency, Distribution, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci and Mammaliicoccus sciuri Isolated from Dogs and Their Owners in Rio de Janeiro
by Fernanda Cruz Bonnard, Luciana Guimarães, Izabel Mello Teixeira, Sandryelle Mercês Freire, Alessandra Maia, Patrícia Câmara de Castro Abreu Pinto, Thais Veiga Blanchart and Bruno Penna
Antibiotics 2025, 14(4), 409; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14040409 - 16 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Background: Staphylococcus spp. and Mammaliicoccus sciuri (M. sciuri) are Gram-positive cocci that inhabit mammals’ and birds’ skin and mucous membranes, part of the microbiota. An imbalance in local immunity can increase colonization, resulting in various infections. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials [...] Read more.
Background: Staphylococcus spp. and Mammaliicoccus sciuri (M. sciuri) are Gram-positive cocci that inhabit mammals’ and birds’ skin and mucous membranes, part of the microbiota. An imbalance in local immunity can increase colonization, resulting in various infections. Inappropriate use of antimicrobials leads to Staphylococci and M. sciuri becoming resistant to conventional treatments. The transmission of methicillin-resistant staphylococci and M. sciuri (MRS and MRMs, respectively) between humans and animals is still underreported in Brazil. Objectives: this study aimed to describe the frequency, distribution, resistance pattern, and evaluation of potential sharing of MRS and MRMs in isolates from asymptomatic dogs and their owners in Rio de Janeiro. Methods: Samples from 50 asymptomatic dogs and 34 from their owners were collected. Isolates were identified by mass spectrometry. The mecA gene was confirmed by conventional PCR. Antimicrobial activity of samples that carried the mecA gene was evaluated by disk diffusion method. Results: In this study, MRS and MRMs were analyzed in 50 dogs and their owners (34) by identifying strains carrying the mecA gene. A total of 185 strains were isolated. The mecA gene was found in 33.5% of the isolates. The most prevalent species carrying the mecA gene was S. epidermidis (33.9%). MRMs showed 14.5%. Fourteen dogs had the same strain carrying the mecA gene as their owners. Of these, 50% exhibited the same antimicrobial resistance pattern, determined by the disk diffusion. The highest percentage of resistance observed in the MRS isolated from dogs and the owners was to Erythromycin (51.3% and 56.5%, respectively). Conclusions: The presence of methicillin-resistant staphylococci is worrisome because there is the potential to transfer these strains between dogs and humans. These strains may act as a reservoir of resistance genes. Full article
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19 pages, 2157 KiB  
Article
Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Dogs from Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe: Implications for Public Health
by Raquel Abreu, Alice Matos, Luís Capela, Rita Jorge, Joana F. Guerreiro, Gonçalo Pereira, Eva Cunha, Lélia Chambel, Luis Tavares, Filip Boyen and Manuela Oliveira
Antibiotics 2025, 14(4), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14040408 - 16 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat, with surveillance providing essential information to control its spread and support rational treatment strategies. Klebsiella pneumoniae, a member of the Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae family, frequently develops resistance mechanisms. This study analyzed 195 rectal swabs from companion [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat, with surveillance providing essential information to control its spread and support rational treatment strategies. Klebsiella pneumoniae, a member of the Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae family, frequently develops resistance mechanisms. This study analyzed 195 rectal swabs from companion and stray dogs in Santiago and São Nicolau (Cape Verde) and São Tomé and Príncipe, sampled during a neutering and deworming campaign conducted by Veterinary Without Borders Portugal, to detect extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria. Samples were enriched and then cultured on ChromID® ESBL agar, and resulting isolates were identified via MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 35 K. pneumoniae isolates were identified, of which 32 were confirmed as ESBL producers. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed 100% resistance to aztreonam, cefotaxime, cefpodoxime, and ceftaroline, and high resistance to cefepime (93.8%), ciprofloxacin (93.8%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (90.6%). All isolates were considered multidrug-resistant but remained susceptible to cefoxitin, imipenem, and meropenem. The genes blaCTX-M, blaSHV, and blaTEM were present in 96.9%, 65.6%, and 56.3% of the isolates, respectively. DNA fingerprinting revealed seven clusters, suggesting genetic diversity and strain dissemination across locations. These findings highlight the role of dogs as vectors for antimicrobial resistance dissemination, underscoring the need for continuous surveillance in both veterinary and human medicine. Full article
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