Dental plaque microbiota of pet owners and their dogs as a shared source and reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes.

Objective: This investigation aimed to detect coincidences in the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) profiles between members of a group living in a household and to compare them between other groups in order to establish if an exchange of ARG occurs and if dental plaque microbiota can be considered as a source and reservoir of ARG that can be shared between humans and pets.

Methods: One hundred sixty dental plaque samples were obtained from four groups: Shelter dogs group (n=20), adult pet owners and dogs group (AD group, n=40), adult pet owners, children and dogs group (ACD group, n=60), and adult non-pet owners and children group (AC group, n=40). DNA was obtained, and specific primers with polymerase chain reaction for ARG detection were used.

Results: The AD group exhibited the most coincidences in their ARG profiles, 14 (70%) of the 20 profiles coincided in 100% followed by the ACD group with 9 (45%) coincidences. While the AC group was the less coincident group, only 7 (35%) of the 20 profiles coincided. tetM was the most prevalent with 53.1%, followed by tetQ with 52.5% and cfxA with 51.2%, while the less prevalent were tetW with 31.8%, blaTEM-1 with 27.5%, and ermC with 18.7%.

Conclusion: Dental plaque microbiota can be considered as a source and reservoir of ARG that can be shared between humans and dogs living in a household. The dogs seem to play an important role in the transference of ARG, and the children appear to be the most affected by carrying the most significant number of ARG.