Dogs in Rwanda carry bacterial strains that are closely related to human variants. This is shown by an international study led by the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in collaboration with the University of Rwanda and the New Vision Veterinary Hospital Musanze. The study was supported by researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, the InfectoGnostics Research Campus, and Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The results were published in the journal Letters in Applied Microbiology.

Hospital pathogen in pets

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired infections worldwide. Particularly feared are methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA), which are difficult to treat and cause high healthcare costs. Dogs can also be carriers of such pathogens. In the current study, nearly 500 dogs and cats were examined. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in 65 dogs, exclusively in nasal swabs. Most strains corresponded to variants typically found in humans. Some showed resistance to commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin or tetracycline, and several samples carried the virulence factor Panton – Valentine leukocidin, which can cause abscesses and boils in humans. No MRSA was detected.

Technology from Jena makes pathogens comparable

The detailed analysis of the bacteria was made possible by molecular multiparameter analysis methods developed in Jena. Using DNA microarrays, hundreds of genetic characteristics could be recorded, including resistance genes and virulence traits. This created a molecular fingerprint that revealed the close relatedness to human lineages. “Our microarray technologies allow us to analyze hundreds of genetic markers simultaneously in a single step, quickly and cost-effectively,” explains Prof. Dr. Ralf Ehricht of Leibniz-IPHT, the InfectoGnostics Research Campus, and the University of Jena. “This opens up the possibility of analyzing veterinary samples from Africa that would otherwise hardly be studied. We can see not only which strain is present, but also which resistances and disease-causing properties it carries.”

Infection chains across species boundaries

What particularly surprised the researchers was that almost all isolates represented lineages typical for humans or other pets. “This makes clear how closely humans and animals are epidemiologically connected,” says physician Stefan Monecke from Leibniz IPHT and the InfectoGnostics Research Campus. “We have to think about infection chains across species boundaries. In very concrete terms, this can mean that a patient becomes ill again after successful treatment because they are reinfected by their own dog.”

Antibiotic resistance also in ruminants

A complementary study by the same research group has also shown that cattle, goats, and sheep in Rwanda carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This investigation was published in 2024 in BMC Veterinary Research. Together, both studies underline the need to consider the health of humans, animals, and the environment jointly in line with the “One Health” approach.

 

Original publications

  • Marek L, Irimaso E, Turikumwenayo JB, Mukamulisa B, Ndishimye P, Muragijemariya F, et al. Staphylococcus aureus in Rwandan dogs predominantly representing human-associated lineages. Letters in Applied Microbiology. 2025;78(5):ovaf065. https://doi.org/10.1093/lambio/ovaf065
  • Irimaso E, Keinprecht H, Szostak MP, Cabal Rosel A, Stessl B, Desvars-Larrive A, et al. Survey in ruminants from Rwanda revealed high diversity and prevalence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales. BMC Veterinary Research. 2024;20:523. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04359-3