Pet cats may shape the antibiotic resistome of their owner’s gut and living environment
Yiwen Yang,
Xinwen Hu,
Shuang Cai,
Nan Hu,
Yilin Yuan,
Yinbao Wu,
Yan Wang,
Jiandui Mi,
Xindi Liao
Affiliations
Yiwen Yang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agriculture University
Xinwen Hu
Institute of Digestive Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shuang Cai
State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University
Nan Hu
Department of Rehabilitation, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
Yilin Yuan
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agriculture University
Yinbao Wu
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agriculture University
Yan Wang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agriculture University
Jiandui Mi
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University
Xindi Liao
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agriculture University
Abstract Background Companion animals can contribute to the physical and mental health of people and often live in very close association with their owners. However, the antibiotic resistome carried by companion animals and the impact they have on their owners and living environment remain unclear. In this study, we compared the ARG profiles of cats, humans, and their living environments using metagenomic analysis to identify the core ARGs in the cat and human gut and explore the potential impact of cats on ARGs in the human gut through the environment. Results Results showed that the abundance of ARGs in the cat gut was significantly higher than that in the human gut (P 0.05). However, the abundance of aminoglycoside resistance genes including APH(2'')-IIa and AAC(6')-Im was significantly higher in cat owners than that in non-cat owners (P < 0.001). Also, ARG abundance was positively correlated with the frequency of cat activity in the living environment. Enterobacteriaceae was the dominant ARG host co-occurring in the cat gut, human gut, and living environment. Conclusions Our results show that cats may shape the living environment resistome and thus the composition of some ARGs in the human gut, highlighting the importance of companion animal environment health. Video Abstract
