Occurrence of Pasteurella multocida in Dogs Being Trained for Animal-Assisted Therapy

Antonio Santaniello, Susanne Garzillo, Alessia Amato, Mario Sansone, Alessandro Fioretti and Lucia Francesca Menna
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Antonio Santaniello: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Federico II University of Naples, 80134 Naples, Italy
Susanne Garzillo: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Federico II University of Naples, 80134 Naples, Italy
Alessia Amato: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Federico II University of Naples, 80134 Naples, Italy
Mario Sansone: Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Federico II University of Naples, 80125 Naples, Italy
Alessandro Fioretti: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Federico II University of Naples, 80134 Naples, Italy
Lucia Francesca Menna: Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, Federico II University of Naples, 80134 Naples, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 17, 1-9

Abstract: Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a non-pharmacological therapy aimed at people with physical and/or mental disabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out interventions that guarantee its benefits for patients while also avoiding the risk of zoonoses due to contact with the animals or their mucous membranes. The present study aimed to detect the occurrence of Pasteurella multocida in the oral cavity of dogs attending a “dog educational centre” and training for AAT interventions. In addition, some of the potential predictable factors of infection (i.e., age, sex, breed, and living conditions) were analyzed. In total, 25/200 dogs examined (12.5%; 95% confidence interval = 8.4–18.1%) were positive for P. multocida , as confirmed by PCR. Sex, breed, and living conditions were risk factors associated with P. multocida as revealed by the logistic regression analysis. Specifically, cross-bred female dogs living prevalently outdoors were significantly associated with the presence of P. multocida ( p < 0.05). This study represents the first epidemiological survey of the prevalence of P. multocida in the oral cavity of dogs involved subsequently in AAT interventions, highlighting the potential risk of P. multocida infection in patients, often belonging to risk categories (e.g., children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals). Therefore, healthcare guidelines could be suggested to integrate the current literature related to the health check of dogs involved in AAT. In this way, it could be ensured that, even with bodily contact during AAT, the risk of pathogen transmission by the co-therapist dog can be avoided.

Keywords: animal-assisted interventions; co-therapist dogs; zoonosis; patients; risk factors; contact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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