E. coli, which can cause food poisoning, is also the UK’s most common cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections, which can be life-threatening. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, which are used to treat a range of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The World Health Organisation classes these antibiotics among the highest-priority critically important antibiotics. 

The study, published in One Health, looked for ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli carried in the intestines of 600 healthy pet dogs. The research team asked the dog owners to complete a survey that provided details about their dog, the dog’s diet, environments the dog walked in and if the dog had been treated with antibiotics. 

The microbiology data along with the survey data enabled statistical analysis, which showed that feeding uncooked meat to dogs was the only significant risk factor associated with excretion of these resistant bacteria in the dog’s faeces. This work supports other published studies demonstrating associations between dogs being fed raw meat and excreting resistant E. coli. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

'One health transmission of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli and risk factors for their excretion by dogs living in urban and nearby rural settings' by Jordan E. Sealey, Ashley Hammond, Kristen K. Reyher, Matthew B. Avison in One Health