Abstract:
BACKGROUND : Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are associated with increased
mortality, morbidity, and an economic burden due to costs associated with
extended hospital stays. Furthermore, most pathogens associated with HAIs
in veterinary medicine are zoonotic. This study used published data to
identify organisms associated with HAIs and zoonosis in veterinary medicine.
Furthermore, the study also investigated the antimicrobial-susceptibility profile
of these bacterial organisms.
METHODS : A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with
the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses
(PRISMA) guidelines. Search terms and five electronic databases were used
to identify studies published over 20 years (2000–2020). The risk of bias was
assessed using the “Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in
Epidemiology-Vet” (STROBE-Vet) checklist.
RESULTS : Out of the identified 628 papers, 27 met the inclusion criteria for this
study. Most studies (63%, 17/27) included were either from small animal or
companion animal clinics/hospitals, while 5% (4/27) were from large animal
clinics/hospitals inclusive of bovine and equine hospitals. Hospital-acquired
bacteria were reported fromenvironmental surfaces (33%, 9/27), animal clinical
cases (29.6%, 8/27), and fomites such as cell phones, clippers, stethoscopes,
and computers (14.8%, 4/27). Staphylococcus spp. was the most (63%; 17/27)
reported organism, followed by Escherichia coli (19%; 5/27), Enterococcus
spp. (15%, 4/27), Salmonella spp. (15%; 4/27), Acinetobacter baumannii (15%,
4/27), Clostridioides di cile (4%, 1/27), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4%;
1/27). Multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms were reported in 71% (12/17)
of studies linked to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP), Enterococcus
spp., Salmonella Typhimurium, A. baumannii, and E. coli. The mecA gene was identified in bothMRSA andMRSP, the blaCMY-2 gene in E. coli and Salmonella
spp., and the vanA gene in E. faecium isolate. Six studies reported organisms
from animals with similar clonal lineage to those reported in human isolates.
CONCLUSION : Organisms associated with hospital-acquired infections and
zoonosis have been reported from clinical cases, environmental surfaces, and
items used during patient treatment and care. Staphylococcus species is the
most reported organism in cases of HAIs and some isolates shared similar
clonal lineage to those reported in humans. Some organisms associated with
HAIs exhibit a high level of resistance and contain genes associated with
antibiotic resistance.
