Dog owners are being urged not to share a bed with their pet over fears they could transmit a ‘superbug’, says an article published by Wales Online.
Drug-resistant infections
The mcr-1 gene, which is thought to be passed down from animals to humans, has developed resistance to some life-saving medications.
Drug-resistant diseases are thought to kill 700,000 people per year around the world.
If nothing is done, the UN predicts that this number would climb to 10 million by 2050.
Microscopic faecal particles
According to The Mirror, experts now believe that humans can contract the superbug, which was first discovered in China in 2015.
Before being transferred via minute faecal particles, mcr-1 can be found in the stomach of dogs.
The gene was detected in the dog and the owner in two of the households where dogs had tissue infections, according to a study at the University of Lisbon.
Over a two-year period, from February 2020 to February 2020, faeces samples were collected from 126 healthy humans who lived with 102 cats and dogs in 80 houses.
Hosting bacteria
Bacteria such as mcr-1 were detected in eight of the canines and four of the people.
Three of the dogs appeared to be healthy, while the others had tissue or urinary tract infections, according to the findings.
The research was presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
Experts reminded delegates that agricultural regions using colistin, notably in southern European countries, will have a lower risk of contracting the mcr-1 gene.
Crucial treatment
Dr Juliana Menezes, who led the research, said: “Colistin is used when all other antibiotics have failed, it is a crucial treatment of last resort. If bacteria resistant to all drugs acquire this resistance gene, they would become untreatable, and that’s a scenario we must avoid at all costs.”
“We know that the overuse of antibiotics drives resistance and it is vital that they are used responsibly, not just in medicine but also in veterinary medicine and in farming.”
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: Wales Online
