First Detection of International High-Risk -Harbouring Pandemic Lineage ST648 in Pet Food Packages.

The continued worldwide increase in pet ownership has significantly boosted the growth of the pet food industry accompanied by new food safety risks and challenges. This study was designed to determine the occurrence and molecularly characterize multidrug-resistant (MDR) in pet food. Eighty-six (86) packages of dry and wet pet food purchased in different retail stores were screened for carbapenem-resistant (CRE). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by agar dilution technique using EUCAST/BrCAST recommendations. Blue-Carba test was further used to screen for carbapenemase-producing isolates. Isolated CRE strains were identified at the species level using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Detection of carbapenemase-encoding genes was carried out by PCR, Sanger sequencing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS). A total of 15 (17.4%) MDR-CRE ( ( = 2), ( = 10), ( = 2), and spp. ( = 1)) were isolated from 86 pet food samples. In addition to being resistant to beta-lactams, the Gram-negative bacterial isolates were also resistant to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and tigecycline. Interestingly, two carbapenem-resistant isolates harboured gene. WGS analysis of the two -producing isolates revealed that they both belong to ST648 and serotype O153:H2 group. The genetic context of the showed that they were carried by an IncN plasmid on a Tn transposon element. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of -harbouring ST648 pathogens in pet food. The detection of -harbouring ST648 pandemic high-risk lineage in pet food is worrisome and a serious "One Health" issue. Therefore, pet food should be considered as a potential vehicle for the transmission of MDR pathogens to companion animals, and a risk factor for the dissemination of these bacterial pathogens to pet animals and their human guardians.