A new research study led by Patrícia Antunes and developed by researchers from the BacT_Drugs Lab at UCIBIO-University of Porto, published in Eurosurveillance, has contributed to the evidence of the risk posed by contaminated raw pet food to human health. This study calls for proactive food safety actions within the One Health framework, involving regulatory bodies, the pet food industry, and pet owners, to promote safe handling and feeding practices.
Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) are becoming increasingly popular among pet owners. Since 2020, there have been more than 20 reports or recalls of pet food and RMBDs in the EU due to the detection of pathogens. However, the potential role of RMBDs as a new source of bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics has been overlooked, which could affect people living with pets. We aimed to investigate if dog food, including RMBDs, from European brands available in Portugal could be a source of Salmonella or other Enterobacteriaceae resistant to last-line antibiotics such as colistin.
Patrícia Antunes explains that “our findings revealed that only RMBD batches were contaminated, with 10 out of 14 containing polyclonal multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli and one MDR Salmonella. One turkey-based batch carried the Salmonella serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- European epidemic clone, similar to human clinical isolates. Furthermore, colistin-resistant E. coli isolates were present in two batches from the same pet food brand, with all isolates carrying the mobilizable mcr-1 gene on IncX4 plasmids. These hazards are common in food-animal production and are causing infections in humans worldwide.”
The risk of human exposure can occur through handling raw pet food and/or environmental release by pets. This emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about the hazards of RMBDs, advocating for food safety actions to safeguard both pet owners and the members of their household, highlighting the health benefits of conventionally processed pet food, and promoting constant microbiological monitoring of pet food ingredients to mitigate microbiological hazards, including MDR bacterial infections in humans.
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Euro Surveill. 2024;29(18):pii=2300561.