Isolation of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other Gram-negative ESKAPE organisms from samples of raw-meat diets for dogs in the UK.

Raw-meat dog diets contain carbapenem-resistant pathogens with zoonotic potential concerns.

This study investigated the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant gram-negative ESKAPE organisms in commercially available frozen raw-meat diets for dogs in the United Kingdom. Researchers cultured 110 samples of raw-meat pet food and performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing. Notably, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from 10 samples, with 8 samples yielding Acinetobacter baumannii complex and 4 samples containing Enterobacterales species. The isolated organisms demonstrated resistance to critically important antibiotics including meropenem, with key resistance genes identified through molecular analysis. This incidental finding raises significant One Health concerns, as raw-meat diets may serve as a reservoir and transmission route for antimicrobial-resistant pathogens to companion animals and potentially to human contacts. The authors acknowledge potential limitations in their microbiological isolation methods but emphasize the need for further investigation into food safety aspects of raw-meat pet diets and their public health implications.

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