Trends in fluoroquinolone resistance of bacteria isolated from canine urinary tracts

Fluoroquinolone (FQ) antimicrobial agents are used extensively in human and veterinary medicine. Widespread use of any antimicrobial agent can apply selective pressure on populations of bacteria, which may result in an increase in the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant isolates. Antimicrobial-susceptibility data on bacteria isolated from the canine urinary tract by the University of Missouri-Columbia Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Columbia, MO, were used to determine whether there has been an increase in the prevalence of FQ-resistant bacteria over time. Between January 1992 and December 2001, minimum inhibitory concentrations of either ciprofloxacin (1992-1998) or enrofloxacin (1998-2001) were determined for 1,478 bacterial isolates from the canine urinary tract. The predominant bacterial species isolated were Escherichia coli (547 isolates), Proteus mirabilis (156), and Staphylococcus interinedius (147). In all, there were 13 bacterial species with more than 25 isolates each. A significant increase in the overall proportion of resistant bacterial isolates was documented from 1992 to 2001 (Cochran-Armitage test for trend, P < 0.0001). The same increase in resistant isolates was documented when either ciprofloxacin or enrofloxacin was analyzed separately (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0002, respectively). No difference was detected in rates of bacterial FQ resistance with regard to the sex of the dog from which the bacteria were isolated. The frequency with which some bacterial species were isolated differed with the sex of the infected dog. Proteus mirabilis was found more often in females (P < 0.0001), whereas beta hemolytic Streptococcus spp., were found more often in males (P = 0.0003). Although the overall efficacy of FQ antimicrobials remained high with greater than 80% of isolates being susceptible, the data demonstrated an increase in the proportion of resistant bacteria isolated from the urinary tract of the dog.