A prediction model of survival for patients with bone metastasis from uterine cervical cancer.

IMPORTANCE

Enterococci are opportunistic uropathogens increasingly associated with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in companion animals, raising concerns about their virulence potential and high antimicrobial resistance.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the species distribution, virulence-associated genes, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of urinary Enterococcus isolates from dogs and cats with recurrent UTIs, including vancomycin resistance determinants.

METHODS

This study analyzed 106 monomicrobial urinary Enterococcus isolates from 61 dogs and 45 cats with recurrent UTIs. Species identification was followed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction for vanA, vanB, vanC1, and vanC2 and for virulence-associated genes (fsr, efm, esp, cylA, cad1, ace, gelE, and asa1). The antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by disc diffusion. The associations were evaluated using univariate comparisons and multivariable analyses.

RESULTS

Among the 106 isolates, 68 (64.2%) were Enterococcus faecalis and 38 (35.8%) Enterococcus faecium. E. faecalis was more frequently isolated from cats than dogs (77.8% vs. 54.1%; odds ratio, 2.97). The virulence profiles differed according to species; E. faecalis was more likely to carry ace, gelE, asa1, cylA, fsr, and esp, and showed a higher overall virulence profile. The prevalence of resistance was high for erythromycin (82.1%), rifampicin (78.3%), tetracyclines (70.8%), and fluoroquinolones (~59%), with multidrug resistance detected in 84.9% of isolates. Nitrofurantoin resistance was more common in E. faecium than E. faecalis (47.4% vs. 5.9%) and was independently associated with E. faecium in multivariable analyses. The vancomycin-resistance gene vanB was detected in 2.83% of isolates.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Recurrent UTIs in dogs and cats were associated with high rates of multidrug-resistant Enterococcus isolates and species-specific virulence and resistance patterns. These findings support the use of species-level identification and susceptibility testing-guided therapy to improve antibiotic stewardship and the clinical outcomes in recurrent UTIs in companion animals.