London [UK], November 26
Researchers at the University of Bristol revealed that feeding dogs raw meat increases their chances of excreting E. coli that cannot be killed by the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
E. coli, which can cause food poisoning, is also the most common cause of life-threatening urinary tract and bloodstream infections in the UK.
Ciprofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is used to treat a variety of bacterial illnesses in humans and animals. The World Health Organisation considers these antibiotics to be of the greatest priority and critical importance.
The study, published in One Health, looked for ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli in the intestines of 600 healthy companion dogs.
The research team requested the dog owners to fill out a survey containing information about their dog, its diet, the surroundings it walked in, and whether or not it had been treated with antibiotics.
The microbiological data, along with the survey data, allowing for statistical analysis, which revealed that feeding undercooked meat to dogs was the sole significant risk factor related to the excretion of these resistant bacteria in the dog’s faeces.
This study backs up previous research that found a link between dogs fed raw meat and excreting-resistant E. coli.
