PARIS:
Increasingly popular raw meat meals for dogs and cats may be full of multi-drug
resistant bacteria, posing a serious risk to animals and humans, scientists
reported Wednesday. Three-quarters of samples purchased and tested in
Switzerland exceeded recommended limits of bacteria known to cause
gastro-intestinal infections, and more than half had bugs impervious to drugs
designed to kill them, they reported in Royal Society Open Science.    

"It is
really worrying that we found EBSL-producing bacteria in over 60 percent of
samples," said first author Magdalena Nuesch-Inderbinen, a researcher at
the University of Zurich, referring to an enzyme that renders some antibiotics
ineffective. "They include several types of E. coli which can cause
infections in humans and animals."

Sales of raw pet
food-sometimes called "biologically appropriate raw food", or
BARF-have soared in recent years, especially for dogs. Paleo-like diets are
said to boost canine vitality and immunity, even if there is scant research to
back up such claims. Indeed, veterinary medical associations in the United
States and Canada have raised concerns about raw meat pet food, with reports
showing it to be a source of Salmonella and infectious yersiniosis in dogs.

And that,
Nuesch-Inderbinen told AFP, is a problem for humans. "Raw meat-based diets
may be contaminated with bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics,
including those categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
critically important for human medicine," she wrote by email.

Pet lover beware

"There is
growing evidence that these pathogens pose a risk of infectious disease to
humans not only during handling of feed, but also through the contamination of
household surfaces and through close contact to the dogs and their feces."
There are an estimated 140 million dogs and cats in the European Union, and at
least as many in North America. More generally, antibiotic resistance has
became a major health crisis across the globe.

"The
situation with multi-drug resistant bacteria has spiralled out of control in
recent years," said co-author Roger Stephan, a professor at the University
of Zurich's Institue for Food Safety and Hygiene. The indiscriminate and
sometimes inappropriate use of antibiotics have allowed surviving bugs to
mutate into superbugs that outpace the development of new medicines. Because of
the overuse of antibiotics in the livestock production, animals raised for
consumption have become a major reservoir for antimicrobial resistance.
"Like conventional pet food, most raw meat-based diets are based on the
by-products of animals slaughtered for human consumption," the study
notes.

To find out
exactly how contaminated raw pet foods really are, the researchers tested 51
samples from different suppliers in Switzerland, purchased in stores and on the
Internet. "We advise all dog and cat owners who want to feed their pets a
'BARF' diet to handle the food carefully and maintain strict hygiene
standards," said Nuesch-Inderbinen. "Pet owners should be aware of
the risk that their pet may be carrying multi-drug resistant bacteria and can
spread them." -AFP