The Burden of Acinetobacter baumannii Among Pet Dogs and Cats with Respiratory Illness Outside the Healthcare Facilities: A Possible Public Health Concern.

Background: Researchers paid more attention to nosocomial Acinetobacter baumannii in veterinary hospitals worldwide; however, the research scope toward community-acquired A. baumannii infections among animals is largely ignored. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the role of diseased dogs and cats suffering from respiratory illness in transmission of community-acquired A. baumannii infection and its public health threat. Materials and methods: Oral swabs were collected from 154 pet animals with respiratory signs, including 80 cats and 74 dogs (outpatient visits). The obtained swabs were cultured on CHROMagar™ MH Orientation media for isolation of A. baumannii, and identification of suspected isolates was conducted via Gram staining, conventional biochemical tests, and molecular detection of the bla_OXA-51-like gene. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of A. baumannii isolates was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Results: Overall, 10 (6.5%) out of 154 diseased pet animals were positive for A. baumannii, where 6 (8.1%) and 4 (5%) dogs and cats were positive, respectively. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) A. baumannii was found in 3.9% of the examined animals. The phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the obtained sequences from dogs and cats were closely related to human and animal sequences. Conclusion: The occurrence of MDR A. baumannii among dogs and cats suffering from respiratory illness highlights the potential role of pet animals in the dissemination of MDR A. baumannii in the community.