Companion Animals Share Similar CRE Isolates With Humans

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are among the highest priority antimicrobial-resistant threats globally, often associated with high mortality and resistance to "last resort" antibiotics. While historically viewed as healthcare-associated human pathogens, carbapenemase-producing CRE (CP-CRE) have emerged as potential zoonotic pathogens in companion animals like dogs and cats. It remains unclear what the transmission risk is from these animals to humans. Objective: To analyze the relatedness of strains circulating between humans and animals to elucidate the zoonotic potential of CP-CRE in companion animals in the United States. Design: Retrospective database-based analysis. Methods: Researchers queried the National Center for Biotechnology Information Pathogen Detection database to identify U.S. companion animal CP-CRE isolates. They identified "One Health clusters," defined as predefined groups containing CP-CRE from both human and animal sources with <25 al more...