Feline urinary tract pathogens in western Canada: Prevalence of bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance from 2012 to 2018

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial population and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from feline urine from 2012 to 2018 in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Animals and procedure IDEXX Reference Laboratories provided data from urine samples submitted from Alberta and British Columbia for aerobic culture and susceptibility testing from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. The analysis included 8084 bacterial isolates from 7522 cystocentesis samples, with at least 1000 colony-forming units per mL. Results Escherichia coli, Enterococcus species, and Staphylococcus species were the most commonly isolated bacteria, at 60.0%, 22.7%, and 11.8%, respectively. The proportions did not vary significantly throughout the study period or between British Columbia and Alberta. Apart from an increase in the resistance of Staphylococcus species to clindamycin, there was minimal change in the antimicrobial susceptibility of the 3 most commonly isolated bacteria over the study period. More than 85% of Gram-positive organisms were susceptible to amoxicillin with or without clavulanic acid, and > 85% of Gram-negative organisms were susceptible to amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and trimethoprim with sulfamethoxazole. Conclusion and clinical relevance Treatment with amoxicillin, with or without clavulanic acid, may be considered for bacterial feline lower urinary tract disease in Alberta and British Columbia while awaiting culture results.