New research suggests that frozen raw dog food contains bacteria that are resistant to key antibiotics.
The authors were to present their work at the now cancelled European Congress 2020 on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).
His work suggests that raw and frozen dog foods contain bacteria capable of resisting conventional antibiotics.
This poses a risk of transmission of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria from dogs to humans, which poses an international risk to public health, the study authors say.
Bacterial resistance to key antibiotics
Different types of enterococcal bacteria appeared in 41% (19 out of 46) of general samples.
Scientists found these bacteria in 53% (8 out of 15) of dry dog food and 9% (2 out of 22) of wet dog food. However, they were found in the nine frozen raw dog food samples.
When the authors observed the unprocessed frozen samples in more detail, they discovered that they all contained bacteria resistant to many antibiotics, including standard antibiotics that health professionals regularly prescribe. In contrast, drug-resistant bacteria contaminated few food samples for wet or dry dogs.
For the study authors, “the close contact of pets with humans and the commercialization of the brands studied in different EU countries pose an international risk to public health if the transmission of such strains between dogs and humans occurs”.
“There is strong past and recent evidence that dogs and humans share multi-drug resistant Enterococci faecium strains and therefore the potential of these strains to be transmitted to humans by dogs.”
According to dr. Ana Raquel Freitas, from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto, Portugal, and author of the study, “These frozen raw foods are supposed to be consumed after thawing and at least can be cooked to kill them. resistant to drugs and other bacteria.”
“Although these foods appear to be regulated, with respect to their microbiological safety by EU authorities, the risk assessment of biological hazards should also include antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or genes in addition to establishing the presence of bacterial pathogens, such as salmonella.”
