Background/Objectives : Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic infections in humans and animals, especially cats and dogs. This bacterium's ability to adapt and acquire antibiotic resistance traits may complicate and exacerbate antibacterial therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the antibiotic resistance patterns, virulence factors and ability to form biofilm of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from Algerian dogs and cats. Methods: Nineteen samples were collected from healthy and diseased dogs and cats. Isolates were studied for their antibiotic resistance patterns (disc diffusion method), biofilm formation (Microtiter assay) and were Whole genome sequenced (MinION). Results: Nineteen P. aeruginosa strains (15 from dogs and 4 from cats) were isolated. Antibiotic resistance phenotypes were observed against amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (100%), meanwhile resistance towards ticarcillin was 40% (dogs) and 25% (cats), ticarcillin-clavulanic acid was 13.33% and 25% for dogs and cats respectively and imipenem was 75% (cats) and 20% (dogs). 95% of strains were biofilm producers. Different antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) were found: beta-lactamase genes mainly PAO, OXA-494, OXA-50 and OXA-396, aminoglycosides gene (aph(3’)-IIb), fosA for fosfomycin and catB7 for phenicol. The main high risk STs were ST244, 2788, 388 and 1247. A large panel of virulence genes was detected: exoS, exoT, exoY, lasA, toxA, prpL, algD, rhIA and others. Conclusions: The genetic variety in antibiotic resistance genes of resistant and virulent P. aeruginosa strains in dogs makes public health protection difficult. Continuous monitoring and research in compliance with the One Health policy are needed to solve this problem.

Background/Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic infections in humans and animals, especially cats and dogs. This bacterium’s ability to adapt and acquire antibiotic resistance traits may complicate and exacerbate antibacterial therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the antibiotic resistance patterns, virulence factors and ability to form biofilms of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from Algerian dogs and cats. Methods: Nineteen samples were collected from healthy and diseased dogs and cats. Isolates were studied for their antibiotic-resistance patterns (disc diffusion method) and biofilm formation (Microtiter assay) and were whole-genome sequenced (MinION). Results: Nineteen P. aeruginosa strains (15 from dogs and 4 from cats) were isolated. Antibiotic-resistance phenotypes were observed against amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (100%); meanwhile, resistance towards ticarcillin was 40% (dogs) and 25% (cats), ticarcillin–clavulanic acid was 13.33% and 25% for dogs and cats, respectively, and imipenem was 75% (cats) and 20% (dogs). Moreover, 95% of strains were biofilm-producers. Different antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) were found: beta-lactamase genes, mainly PAO, OXA-494, OXA-50 and OXA-396 and an aminoglycoside gene (aph(3′)-IIb). The main high-risk sequence types (STs) were ST244, 2788, 388 and 1247. A large panel of virulence genes was detected: exoS, exoT, exoY, lasA, toxA, prpL, algD, rhIA and others. Conclusions: The genetic variety in antibiotic-resistance genes of resistant and virulent P. aeruginosa strains in dogs makes public health protection difficult. Continuous monitoring and research in compliance with the One Health policy are needed to solve this problem.

Background/Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius are major opportunistic pathogens in both humans and dogs. In pets, the dissemination of methicillin-resistant isolates (MRSA or MRSP) is problematic for the treatment of animals and is a public health issue due to their zoonotic potential. MRSA and MRSP may also harbor virulent genes that increase their dangerousness. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of (MR)SA and (MR)SP in healthy dogs and their owners in Algeria. Methods: Swabs were collected from various body sites of healthy dogs (n = 88) and from the nose of their owners (n = 38). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by antibiograms according to the disc diffusion method, and clonality was assessed using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). All methicillin-resistant isolates were short-read whole-genome sequenced using the Illumina technology. Results: 26 S. aureus and 17 S. pseudintermedius isolates were respectively collected from 13 dogs (13/88, 14.8%). No MRSP isolate was detected, while MRSA was found in six dogs (6.8%). Isolates belonged to ST1 (n = 3), ST 80 (n = 1), and ST 22 (n = 2, including the single-locus variant ST7118). All MRSA displayed the immune evasion cluster (IEC) type E. The ST80 isolate presented the Panton–Valentine toxin, and the ST22/ST7118 isolates carried the tst gene coding for the toxic shock syndrome toxin. Conclusions: The epidemiology of MRSA in healthy Algerian dogs mirrors the one in Algerian people. This poses a zoonotic and public health concern due to the virulence and resistance genes displayed by these isolates. Our results indicate the need for developing One Health strategies to avoid a large-scale dissemination of MRSA in Algerian dogs.

Salmonella is a pathogen implicated in foodborne illnesses. Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella has emerged and is increasingly prevalent, posing a significant global problem. The current study aimed to study the antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation capacity of Salmonella spp. isolated from broiler chicken farms in Biskra, Algeria. Two hundred and seventy samples were collected from various sources within broiler chicken farms (fecal matter, cloacal swabs, surface swabs, reservoir water, and water from final dispenser lines). Conventional methods were used to isolate and identify Salmonella species and confirmed using API 20E test strips, and the disk diffusion method was used to perform a sensitivity test, in addition to the crystal violet microtiter plate method to assay the biofilm formation capacity of the isolates. 45 strains isolated with a prevalence of 16.66%. The result of the sensitivity test showed resistance against ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin and tetracycline at 97.78%, 95,56% and 91.11%, respectively. Meanwhile, the third-generation cephalosporins and cefadroxil showed moderate sensitivity. The results also showed a difference in the ability of the isolates to produce biofilms; most of them were weak, medium and non-productive biofilms at a rate of 55.56%, 37.78% and 6.67%, respectively. A negative correlation of a statistically significant relationship between antibiotic resistance and the capacity for biofilm formation in strains of Salmonella was observed. This study revealed a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Salmonella strains isolated from broiler chicken farms, indicating the necessity for effective measures to ensure food safety in the poultry industry in Algeria.