Clostridium difficile in faeces from healthy dogs and dogs with diarrhea.

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the faecal occurrence and characterization of Clostridium difficile in clinically healthy dogs (N = 50) and in dogs with diarrhea (N = 20) in the Stockholm-Uppsala region of Sweden. FINDINGS: Clostridium difficile was isolated from 2/50 healthy dogs and from 2/20 diarrheic dogs. Isolates from healthy dogs were negative for toxin A and B and for the tcdA and tcdB genes. Both isolates from diarrheic dogs were positive for toxin B and for the tcdA and tcdB genes. The C. difficile isolates from healthy dogs had PCR ribotype 009 (SE-type 6) and 010 (SE-type 3) whereas both isolates from dogs with diarrhoea had the toxigenic ribotype 014 (SE-type 21). One of the isolates from healthy dogs was initially resistant to metronidazole. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed presence of toxigenic C. difficile in faecal samples of diarrheic dogs and low number of non- toxigenic isolates in healthy dogs from Uppsala-Stockholm region in Sweden. However, more comprehensive studies are warranted to investigate the role of C. difficile in gastrointestinal disease in dogs

Published in

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
2013, volume: 55, article number: 23

SLU Authors

• Trowald-Wigh, Gunilla

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Krovacek, Karel

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Fernström, Lise-Lotte

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

AMR: Bacteria

UKÄ Subject classification

Pathobiology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-55-23

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/40652