Sabino Hellen Dos Santos, Coutinho Lidiane Lamara Silva, Marassi Carla Dray, Dieckmann Ana Maria, Martins Ianick Souto, Neves Felipe Piedade Gonçalves, Rabello Renata Fernandes
Instituto Biomédico, Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Faculdade de Veterinária, Departamento de Patologia e Clínica Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Braz J Microbiol. 2025 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s42770-025-01717-7.
Animals can serve as reservoirs for multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterococci with potential pathogenicity. Close contact between dogs and their owners may facilitate the interspecies transmission of these bacterial agents, potentially impacting human health. While Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis are the main species implicated in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), non-faecium and non-faecalis (NFF) enterococci, though less prevalent, may also contribute to infections. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes and virulence potential of NFF enterococci isolated from asymptomatic dogs. A total of 114 NFF enterococcal isolates were obtained from rectal swabs of dogs, between 2015 and 2017, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Antimicrobial resistance was assessed using disk diffusion and agar gradient diffusion methods, and resistance and virulence genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The highest resistance frequencies were observed for rifampicin (38.6%), tetracycline (27.2%), and erythromycin (15.8%). One vancomycin-resistant E. gallinarum strain (MIC > 512 µg/mL) was isolated, and it also exhibited resistance to teicoplanin. High-level resistance to streptomycin (HLR-S) was found in E. canintestini (22.2%), E. gallinarum (8.5%), and E. avium (7.1%) strains. Most E. raffinosus strains were resistant to ampicillin (55%) and penicillin G (55%), and this was the only species resistant to ampicillin. MDR strains accounted for 14.9% of the strains, with MDR colonization more frequent in purebred dogs, suggesting a possible breed-related association. The resistance genes detected included ant(6)-Ia, tet(M), tet(L), erm(B), and the van operon. Virulence genes were detected in a limited number of strains: esp (11.4%), gelE (2.6%), asa1 (0.9%), and hyl (0.9%). The presence of esp was significantly associated with E. canintestini (44.4%), and E. avium (42.9%). Further studies are needed to evaluate the public health implications of these findings.
动物可作为具有潜在致病性的耐多药（MDR）肠球菌的宿主。狗与其主人之间的密切接触可能会促进这些细菌病原体的跨物种传播，从而对人类健康产生潜在影响。虽然屎肠球菌和粪肠球菌是与医疗保健相关感染（HAIs）相关的主要菌种，但非屎肠球菌和非粪肠球菌（NFF）肠球菌，尽管不太常见，也可能导致感染。本研究旨在评估从无症状犬只分离出的NFF肠球菌的抗菌药物耐药表型和基因型以及毒力潜力。2015年至2017年期间，在巴西里约热内卢，从犬只的直肠拭子中总共获得了114株NFF肠球菌分离株。采用纸片扩散法和琼脂梯度扩散法评估抗菌药物耐药性，并通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）确定耐药基因和毒力基因。观察到对利福平（38.6%）、四环素（27.2%）和红霉素（15.8%）的耐药频率最高。分离出一株耐万古霉素的鹑鸡肠球菌菌株（MIC＞512µg/mL），它对替考拉宁也表现出耐药性。在犬肠道肠球菌（22.2%）、鹑鸡肠球菌（8.5%）和鸟肠球菌（7.1%）菌株中发现了对链霉素的高水平耐药（HLR-S）。大多数棉子糖肠球菌菌株对氨苄西林（55%）和青霉素G（55%）耐药，这是唯一对氨苄西林耐药的菌种。多重耐药菌株占菌株总数的14.9%，多重耐药定植在纯种犬中更为常见，这表明可能存在品种相关关联。检测到的耐药基因包括ant(6)-Ia、tet(M)、tet(L)、erm(B)和van操纵子。在少数菌株中检测到毒力基因：esp（11.4%）、gelE（2.6%）、asa1（0.9%）和hyl（0.9%）。esp的存在与犬肠道肠球菌（44.4%）和鸟肠球菌（42.9%）显著相关。需要进一步研究来评估这些发现对公共卫生的影响。
