Isolation, identification and AMR pattern of canine isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the ESKAPE bacteria (with Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacterbaumannii, and Enterobacter spp.), for which the therapeutic options are limited (Rice, 2008). Together with Staph. pseudintermedius, it causes infections in dogs, including otitis externa, perianal abscesses, chronic deep pyoderma, superficial skin infections, and wound/urinary tract infections (Bloom and P., 2014), with prevalence ranges from 6.5 to 27.8% (Hariharan et al., 2006). This pathogen is intrinsically resistant to many antibiotics, including beta-lactams, and can rapidly acquire additional resistances, and the combination of resistances can lead to therapeutic failures. With this background, the present work envisaged theisolation, identification, and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of P. aeruginosa from various clinical conditions of canines. A total of 202 samples, including nasal (n=6), vaginal (n=13), wound (n=49), ear (n=67), post-operative wound (n=6), eye (n=11), skin (n=31), and faecal swabs (n=19) these were streaked on Brain Heart Infusion agar and, 183/202(90.59%) samples showed growth. Isolated colonies showing the colonial characteristics suggestive of P. aeruginosa were phenotypically confirmed through staining, growth on Pseudomonas agar P, and primary and secondary biochemical tests. Out of 183 positive cultures, eight isolates were confirmed as P. aeruginosa and 120/183 isolates were Staphylococcus spp. The four most common resistance phenotypes among the P. aeruginosa isolates were oxacillin, penicillin, and cefoxitin with 100%, and erythromycin with 87.5%, resistance. Linezolid, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and cefoxitin were more than 60 percent resistant. Whereas, resistance to enrofloxacin and gentamicin was 37.5 and 25%, respectively.