Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common occurrence in cats and dogs. Surveillance of antibiotic resistance trends helps in the prudent selection of suitable antimicrobial agents. However, there are limited available data on this matter in Italy. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the trends of antimicrobial resistance in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolated from cats and dogs over ten years (January 2014 to October 2023). Three hundred thirty-nine UPEC strains were isolated from urine samples submitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Torino (Italy). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for up to 11 classes of antibacterials, categorized into four categories (A, B, C, and D) following the European Medicine Agency guidelines for prudent antimicrobial use in animals. The results reveal a higher resistance towards compounds in categories C and D, while fewer isolates were resistant to antibacterials in categories B and A. Resistance has steadily increased from 2014 to 2019. Starting from 2020, a decline in resistance is evident in all four categories. The reduction is more pronounced for the categories subject to the greatest restrictions under European and national legislation. The change in resistance trend is in line with findings from other European countries and food-production animals in Italy.