Presence of <i>Campylobacter</i> <i>jejuni</i> and <i>C. coli</i> in Dogs under Training for Animal-Assisted Therapies

• Main Authors: Antonio Santaniello, Lorena Varriale, Ludovico Dipineto, Luca Borrelli, Antonino Pace, Alessandro Fioretti, Lucia Francesca Menna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: animal-assisted therapies; co-therapist dogs; <i>Campylobacter </i>spp.; dog training center; survey; zoonoses
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3717
• ISSN: 1661-7827; 1660-4601

This study was conducted to evaluate the presence of <i>Campylobacter</i> (C.) <i>jejuni </i>and <i>C. coli</i> in dogs at five dog training centers in Southern Italy. A total of 550 animals were sampled by collecting rectal swabs. The samples were processed to detect thermotolerant <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. by culture and molecular methods. <i>Campylobacter</i> spp. were isolated from 135/550 (24.5–95% confidence interval) dogs. A total of 84 <i>C. jejuni</i> (62.2%) and 51<i> C. coli</i> (37.8%) isolates were identified using conventional PCR. The dog data (age, sex, breed, and eating habits) were examined by two statistical analyses using the <i>C. jejuni</i> and <i>C. coli</i> status (positive or negative) as dependent variables. Dogs fed home-cooked food showed a higher risk of being positive for <i>C. jejuni</i> than dogs fed dry or canned meat for dogs (50.0%; <i>p</i> < 0.01). Moreover, purebred dogs had a significantly higher risk than crossbred dogs for <i>C. coli</i> positivity (16.4%; <i>p</i> < 0.01). This is the first study on the prevalence of <i>C. jejuni</i> and <i>C. coli</i> in dogs frequenting dog training centers for animal-assisted therapies (AATs). Our findings emphasize the potential zoonotic risk for patients and users involved in AATs settings and highlight the need to carry out ad hoc health checks and to pay attention to the choice of the dog, as well as eating habits, in order to minimize the risk of infection.