TDK conference 2018

The aim of our study was to conduct a survey of resistance in companion animal veterinary clinics in Hungary, Budapest. Five small animal clinics and small animal hospitals were investigated for the presence of bacterial pathogens in the environment. Sampling took place from 30 sites critical to each location. Apart from one practice the results were relevant. A total of 177 Staphylococcus spp., 297 Enterococcus spp. and 34 P. aeruginosa colonies were formed on the culture media.

Of the sampling points the most critical were nasal mucosa of veterinarians (202 colonies), the hospitals' floor (89 colonies), the muzzles (51 colonies), the railing of the hospital cages (36 colonies). Most staphylococcal colonies were on hospitals floors (53 pcs), on nasal mucous membranes (51 pcs) and on the muzzles (50 pcs). Most Enterococcus colonies were found on nasal mucosa (151 pcs), on cages’ floor on railings (32-32 pcs) and on the keyboards (18 pcs). Most P. aeruginosa colonies were found in the wash basins (30 pcs).

We tested 35 of the staphylococcal colonies with PYR assay, 22 of which were positive (S. aureus) and 13 were negative (S. pseudointermedius). Of the Enterococcus colonies, 96 were tested for species identification using ENC-8 test, which determined 9 E. faecium and 2 E. faecalis isolates. The E. faecium samples were taken from the hospital section, the X-ray table, the veterinarian's clothes and the waiting room, and E. faecalis samples from the X-ray table and the waiting room.

Staphylococcus samples (35 pcs) were resistant at a ratio of 82.86% to sulfamethoxazole, 65.71% to penicillin, 54.29% to erythromycin, 28.57% to oxacillin, 22.86% to gentamicin, 20.00% to chloramphenicol, 11.43% to rifampicin, 5.71% to ciprofloxacin and 5.71% to doxycycline. Vancomycin resistant staphylococci were not found. Of the samples, all 7 antibiotic-resistant isolates were derived from a veterinarian's nasal mucosa. Oxacillin resistance, according to the CLSI guidelines, was 28.57% by MIC-value determination (unlike the disc diffusion test: 14.29%).

Enterococcus samples (96 pcs) were resistant at a ratio of 25.53% to norfloxacin, 25.53% to rifampicin, 19.15% to erythromycin, 17.02% to penicillin, 12.77% to ciprofloxacin, 12.77% to vancomycin, 8.51% to gatifloxacin, 4.26% to doxycycline, 4.26% to chloramphenicol and 2.13% to nitrofurantoin. Of the Enterococcus samples, resistant to each of the seven antibiotics were isolated from the keyboard and from the hospital cage.

Among P. aeruginosa samples a strain was resistant to aztreonam, it was isolated from the floor of the hospital. Another strain was multi-resistant (aztreonam, gentamicin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin resistance). The third strain was pan-resistant (imipenem, ofloxacin, tobramycin, polymyxin-B resistance). Of the P. aeruginosa samples, four antibiotic-resistant samples were found on the laundry and the wash basin.