Tae-Ho Chung

Survey of Helicobacter infection in domestic and feral cats in Korea

Discovery of Helicobacter (H.) pylori has led to a fundamental change in our understanding of gastric diseases in humans. Previous studies have found various Helicobacter spp. in dogs and cats, and pets have been questioned as a zoonotic carrier. The present study surveyed the Helicobacter infections and investigated the presence of H. felis and H. pylori infections in domestic and feral cats in Korea. Sixty-four domestic cats and 101 feral cats were selected from an animal shelter. Saliva and feces were evaluated by Helicobacter genus-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genus-specific PCR positive samples were further evaluated for H. felis and H. pylori using specific primer pairs. Thirty-six of 64 (56.3%) samples from domestic cats and 92 of 101 (91.1%) samples from feral cats were PCR positive; the positive rate of feces samples was higher than that of saliva samples in both groups. H. felis and H. pylori species-specific PCR was uniformly negative. The prevalence of Helicobacter spp. in feral cats was approximately two-fold higher than that of domestic cats. The fecal-oral route may be more a common transmission route not only between cats but also in humans.

Identification of VIM-2 metallo-β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from dogs with pyoderma and otitis in Korea

BACKGROUND Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a challenging pathogen cultured from cases of acute and chronic canine otitis and sometimes in cases of deep pyoderma. The spread of antimicrobial resistance, especially carbapenem resistance, is a serious therapeutic challenge worldwide. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES To investigate the identification and characterization of resistant P. aeruginosa clinical canine isolates. MATERIALS Clinical isolates (n = 80) were collected from dogs with pyoderma (n = 18) and otitis (n = 62) in Korea. METHODS Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using agar dilution and using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines for recording susceptibility for human Pseudomonas isolates; genetic relatedness of isolates was investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and SpeI macrorestriction analysis. The class 1 integrons were amplified and sequenced using primer walking. RESULTS Most isolates were susceptible to colistin (97.5%), polymyxin B (96.3%), ciprofloxacin (81.3%) and meropenem (80.0%); whereas resistance to aztreonam (80%), piperacillin (52.5%), piperacillin/tazobactam (41.3%) and cefepime (37.5%) was high; 12 carbapenem-nonsusceptible isolates (15%) were detected. MLST revealed 45 different sequence types (STs) and macrorestriction analysis detected 55 distinct pulsotypes (PTs), which were divided into 25 clonal groups. Among carbapenem-nonsusceptible isolates, 10 (83.3%) were VIM-2-producing strains. Nine VIM-2-producing isolates were identified as ST1047 and harboured the same 2.8 kb class 1 integron. One remaining isolate was ST1203 with 2.1 kb class 1 integron. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE This study demonstrated the diversity of the phenotype and genotype of clinical P. aeruginosa isolates from dogs with pyoderma and otitis. The identification of VIM-2-producing P. aeruginosa in dogs is alarming and warrants further surveillance.

Clonal distribution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates from skin infection of dogs in Korea

Bacterial infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) is challenging in a small animal practice. Zoonotic transmission may occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotypic profiles of MRSP isolated from bacterial infections of canine skin in Korea and to compare their molecular lineages with dominant strains from other countries. Sixty MRSP isolates were obtained from the lesions of canine pyoderma and otitis externa. Their genetic diversity was assessed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing and direct-repeat unit (dru) typing. Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements were characterized by multiplex PCR. Thirty-nine different sequence types (STs) were detected. Among them, 21 STs were identified as internationally new sequence types. Fourteen dru types (dts) were detected, and the major types were dt11a and dt11y. spa typing characterised 21 isolates (35%, 21/60), including spa types t02 (n=8), t05 (n=5), t06 (n=6), and t15 (n=2). Two clonal complexes, CC568 and CC677, were revealed by MLST; this result differed from the dominant STs detected in MRSP isolates from Europe, North America, and other Asian countries. SCCmec type V was the major type (27/60. 45%), and 30 (50%) isolates were non-typeable by conventional classifying method. This is the first report about the clonal lineage of MRSP isolated from Korea. MRSP isolated from dogs in Korea displays independent lineage from other countries. Surveillance is needed to confirm cross-national disseminating patterns.