Your dog could pass antibiotic-resistant superbugs to you – researchers find them in raw pet food
- Researchers recently found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in different types of raw dog food. The bugs can make minor injuries and common infections deadly
- They warn people to wash their hands after handling raw dog food. Separate research found pet dogs may be passing antibiotic resistance to their owners
Antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” – which the World Health Organisation calls one of the top global threats to public health – usually conjure images of hospital settings. But new research may point to a less obvious source: the family dog.
Researchers warned of “an international public health risk” after finding antibiotic-resistant bacteria in different types of raw dog food.
“The trend for feeding dogs raw food may be fuelling the spread of antibiotic resistant-bacteria,” the researchers said ahead of the presentation of their study at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases.
Separate research to be presented at the same conference found resistance to a last-resort antibiotic may be passing between pet dogs and their owners.
Antibiotic-resistant bugs can render minor injuries and common infections potentially deadly.