MCR-1 gene found in pets in China
Researchers took 53 faecal samples from 39 dogs and 14 cats at the pet shop where the patient worked. (stock photo)
The MCR-1 gene has been detected in colistin-resistant E. coli bacteria in companion animals in China for the first time. Scientists say E. coli harbouring the gene may have passed between dogs and a human patient.
MCR-1 allows bacteria to become resistant to colistin, a last resort antibiotic that is used to treat patients with multi-drug resistant infections.
E. coli isolate EC07 was identified in the urine of a 50-year-old male patient who was admitted to the urology ward of a hospital in Guangzhou, China, in October 2015.
As medical records showed the patient was a pet shop worker, scientists from the Sun Yat-Sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine took 53 faecal samples from 39 dogs and 14 cats at the shop where he worked.
MCR-1 was found in E.coli isolates from four dogs and two cats. All six isolates were found to be resistant to colistin, polymyxin B, cephalosporin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin.
Researchers say the evidence indicates the possible transmission of MCR-1-harbouring E. coli between dogs and the patient.
The MCR-1 gene was first discovered in E. coli isolates from food, livestock and human patients back in China back in November 2015. Since then it has been found in humans and livestock in 12 countries.
The discovery prompted fears that a pan-resistant bacteria could develop, as the gene exists on a plasmid that can move from one bacterium to another, spreading antibiotic resistance between bacterial species.
Writing in Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers said the new findings add 'another layer of complexity to the rapidly evolving epidemiology of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in the community.'
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
