Abstract

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bacterial Pathogens Isolated from Companion Animals in Doha, Qatar

Authors: Qurat Ul Ain

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.71081/cvj/2026.078

Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of bacterial pathogens from companion animals (dogs and cats) obtained from veterinary clinics and hospitals in Doha, Qatar. During 12 months period, 420 clinical samples of skin swabs, ear swabs, urine, wound, fecal and respiratory samples were collected from 280 dogs and 140 cats. The bacteria were isolated using standard microbiological methods such as selective and differential media. The microorganism was identified by Gram staining, colony characteristics and a series of biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Overall, 318 bacterial isolates were recovered with an overall isolation rate of 75.7%. Staphylococcus aureus (28.6%), Escherichia coli (18.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.4%) were the predominant isolates. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was found in 31.9% of S. aureus isolates. 62.6% of all bacterial isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). High levels of resistance were detected to ampicillin (79.2%), tetracycline (68.4%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (61.3%) in the commonly used antibiotics. Most isolates were most active against carbapenems and linezolid. The results indicate that companion animals are potential reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and that there is a need for One Health strategies, antimicrobial stewardship programs and improved surveillance to reduce the zoonotic risk associated with antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

Keywords: Prevalence, Antimicrobial resistance, Bacterial pathogens, Companion animals