Occurrence of spp. in animal patients and the hospital environment at a veterinary academic hospital in South Africa.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Nosocomial infections caused by spp. are common in veterinary facilities. The early identification of high-risk patients and sources of infection is important for mitigating the spread of infections to animal patients and humans. This study investigated the occurrence of spp. among patients at a veterinary academic hospital in South Africa. In addition, this study describes the environmental factors that contribute to the spread of spp. in the veterinary facility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study used a dataset of positive animals and environmental samples submitted to the bacteriology laboratory between 2012 and 2019. The occurrence of isolates at the veterinary hospital was described based on source, month, season, year, and location. Proportions and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each variable.

RESULTS

A total of 715 isolates were recorded, of which 67.6% (483/715) came from animals and the remainder (32.4%, 232/715) came from environmental samples. The highest proportion (29.2%) of isolates was recorded in 2016 and most isolates were reported in November (17.4%). The winter season had the lowest (14.6%) proportion of isolates reported compared to spring (31.3%), summer (27.8%), and autumn (26.4%). Typhimurium (20.0%) was the most frequently reported serotype among the samples tested, followed by Anatum (11.2%). Among the positive animal cases, most (86.3%) came from equine clinics. Most reported isolates differed based on animal species with . Typhimurium being common in equines and . Anatum in bovines.

CONCLUSION

In this study, . Typhimurium emerged as the predominant strain in animal and environmental samples. Equines were the most affected animals; however, serotypes were also detected in the production animals. Environmental contamination was also a major source of species in this study. To reduce the risk of transmission, strict infection prevention and control measures (biosecurity) must be implemented.