Open AccessRisk factors for enterococcal bacteriuria in dogs: A retrospective study
Author(s) -
Wood Michael W.,
Lepold Adam,
Tesfamichael Dahlia,
Lasarev Michael R.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of veterinary internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.356
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1939-1676
pISSN - 0891-6640
DOI - 10.1111/jvim.15916
Subject(s) - bacteriuria , enterococcus , medicine , odds ratio , enterococcus faecalis , urinary system , confidence interval , gastroenterology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , bacteria , antibiotics , genetics , staphylococcus aureus
Background In humans, Enterococcus spp. urinary tract infections (UTI) are commonly associated with urinary catheter‐induced urothelial inflammation but this is not the case in dogs. Hypothesis/Objectives To identify risk factors predisposing dogs to enterococcal bacteriuria. Animals Seventy dogs with Enterococcus spp. bacteriuria (case) and 70 dogs with Enterococcus coli bacteriuria (control). Methods A single center retrospective case‐control study with subjects and controls identified by a medical records search for Enterococcus spp. (subject) or E coli (control) bacteriuria from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2017. Cases and controls were balanced with respect to average age and weight. Binary logistic regression was used to estimate and test whether the odds of having Enterococcus spp. bacteriuria (instead of E coli ) were associated with the presence of any given characteristic. Results A history of recurrent bacteriuria was significantly more common in Enterococcus spp. cases than in E coli controls (odds ratio [OR]: 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04‐4.16, P = .04). Comorbidities associated with the presence of Enterococcus spp. bacteriuria included lower urinary tract (LUT) anatomic abnormalities (OR: 2.94; 95% CI: 1.17‐8.10, P = .02), urolithiasis ( P = .01), and the presence of LUT neoplasia ( P = .04). Small frequencies (n = 12 and n = 6, respectively) compromise our ability to precisely estimate the genuine OR for the latter 2 characteristics. Conclusions and Clinical Importance If the identified risk factors promote Enterococcus spp. colonization in dogs via induced LUT inflammation similar to people then Enterococcus spp. bacteriuria could be a sentinel for underlying LUT inflammation.