Antimicrobial resistance has been increasing in prevalence over the last decade, leading to many bacterial diseases that were previously easily treatable by antibiotics to become resistant to such treatments and therefore more dangerous as they are harder to treat. Dog ownership has also increased in the last few years, primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, so it is important to look at the links between dogs transferring AMR bacteria between the outside environment into the homes of their owners. It was found that there was a 76% prevalence of Enterococcus in dogs in Lincoln, many of which had Enterococcus in the faeces, but did not have Enterococcus on their fur or paws, suggesting there is a difference between dogs being infected with Enterococcus and those carrying the bacteria on their bodies.
Keywords: Canine, antibiotics, Enterococcus, resistance, pathogen, epidemiology
Dissertation written in collaboration with Simon Clegg and Stefan Millson for publication in Frontiers in Veterinary Science Journal.
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