Last year, two dogs kept separately in New Jersey tested positive for a deadly and widespread drug-resistant strain of bacteria that was spread to the United States by contaminated artificial eye drops manufactured in India. Those drops led to a deadly multi-state outbreak over several months last year, ultimately infecting at least 81 people in 18 states. Fourteen people lost their sight, four more had their eyes removed, and four died.
of Preliminary data A report on dogs, presented recently at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Disease Explorers Conference, shows that dogs could be lurking in unexpected places to spread drugs now that a deadly outbreak strain has been introduced across the United States. It highlights that there is. It increases resistance to fellow bacteria and causes new infections in people and animals who have never used IV fluids.
The two dogs in New Jersey were not known to have received IV drops linked to the outbreak of Ezricare artificial tears and two additional products made by the same manufacturer. Recalled in February 2023. Such commercial products may be used by humans as well as animals. However, the dog’s other owners also said they had no recollection of using intravenous drugs. They also did not report any exposure in a medical setting or recent international travel that could explain the infection. One of the dogs was given eye drops at some point, but it was not the brand associated with the outbreak. The only connection between the two dogs is that they were both treated at the same veterinary hospital, which did not stock the eye drops linked to the outbreak.
The infections in the dogs were discovered between March and June 2023, when doctors at the veterinary hospital were treating one dog for a chronic cough and another for a stubborn ear infection.according to CBS News, attended the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service meeting in Atlanta. The ear and lung swabs were sent to an academic veterinary laboratory in Pennsylvania, where microbiologists noticed that the bacteria on both swabs had unusual drug-resistant characteristics. Microbiologists then uploaded the bacterial strain’s genetic sequence to a national database, drawing the attention of the CDC and state health officials.
The uploaded gene sequence was a carbapenem resistance gene sequence that produces carbapenemase. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CP-CRPA) strain – and they were very similar to the bacterial strains identified in the deadly eye drop epidemic. These bacteria are broadly resistant to antibiotics, even to last-line drugs, and can silently colonize animals and humans over months or years. An investigation was conducted.
infection gap
Emma Price, an official at the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service who presented the findings at the conference, suggested they were lucky to have the connections. “because [the academic veterinary laboratory] With a grant and a veterinary microbiologist working there, he did thorough due diligence and uploaded the results. This strain matched the outbreak strain, so that’s how we received the notification,” Price told CBS News.
However, disease detectives were ultimately unable to determine exactly how the two dogs became infected. “Shared exposures included treatment of the dog in the surgical preparation and recovery area of the veterinary hospital and eye exams by the affected dog or another animal in the same household,” Price et al. It is written in However, all sampling conducted at the veterinary hospital where the dog was treated came back negative for the eye drops’ outbreak strain.
During the investigation, epidemiologists also conducted infection control assessments of veterinary hospitals and found various “gaps.” These included issues of hand hygiene practices, use of personal protective equipment, including the use of gloves, and cleaning and disinfection of hospital equipment and environments. Price said such problems are not uncommon and pointed out that infection control is generally not emphasized in veterinary practices.
Although Price and his colleagues were unable to determine the direct route of infection, they believe the dogs likely became infected either through exposure to contaminated products or through secondary infection at the veterinary clinic.
The two dogs have since made a full recovery, but CRPA strains can silently colonize many parts of the body in both humans and animals, so it’s important to note that this bacteria can spread to dogs, other pets, and their families. There may still be some left in the population. Price warned pet owners of the possibility of future infection and encouraged them to report this risk to their health care provider. She also pointed out the possibility of the bacteria spreading from dog to dog. “In the future, ideally we would want to keep him away from other dogs, but we understand that this can be difficult,” she said.