Genomic surveillance identifies shared Salmonella clusters and antimicrobial resistance across dogs, raw pet food and humans
Abstract
The emergence of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella poses growing public health challenges, with companion animals and their diets representing under recognised transmission routes. Despite increasing use of raw pet food (RPF) and statutory reporting of canine Salmonella infections, limited genomic data have been used to investigate potential transmission pathways and their implications for human health. In order to identify potential zoonotic links and characterise antimicrobial resistance, we conducted a genomic analysis of Salmonella spp. isolates from dogs ( n = 1,017) and raw meat pet food ( n = 206) collected between 2006 and 2024 through a collaborative surveillance programme. All isolates underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS), and comparative genomic analysis was performed against human clinical isolates. Among 1,223 sequenced isolates, 676 unique 5 SNP single linkage clusters, across 29 different Salmonella serovars were identified. Overall, 27.2% (148/545) of canine isolates and 23.7% (27/114) of RPF isolates were genetically related to human cases, with 88.2% (15/17) of shared dog–RPF isolates also clustering with human infections. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains, including those resistant to critically important antimicrobials, were detected in both dogs and RPF. Salmonella Typhimurium predominated across human and canine isolates including the distribution of MDR within multiple clusters. These findings highlight the zoonotic risk associated with dogs and raw pet food within domestic settings, underscoring the need for targeted public health messaging and strengthened One Health genomic surveillance.
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BibTeX
@article{chattaway2026genomic,
title = {{Genomic surveillance identifies shared Salmonella clusters and antimicrobial resistance across dogs, raw pet food and humans}},
author = {Marie Anne Chattaway and Anaïs Painset and Francesca Martelli and Adrienne Mackintosh and Frieda Jorgensen and Amina Ismail Ahmed and David R. Greig and Caisey V. Pulford and Gail Wise and Lucy Snow and Joanna Lawes and Sam Griffiths-Jones and Michael Bottery and Susan Hopkins and Gauri Godbole and Liljana Petrovska},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-72682-w},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72682-w},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Genomic surveillance identifies shared Salmonella clusters and antimicrobial resistance across dogs, raw pet food and humans
AU - Marie Anne Chattaway
AU - Anaïs Painset
AU - Francesca Martelli
AU - Adrienne Mackintosh
AU - Frieda Jorgensen
AU - Amina Ismail Ahmed
AU - David R. Greig
AU - Caisey V. Pulford
AU - Gail Wise
AU - Lucy Snow
AU - Joanna Lawes
AU - Sam Griffiths-Jones
AU - Michael Bottery
AU - Susan Hopkins
AU - Gauri Godbole
AU - Liljana Petrovska
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-72682-w
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72682-w
AB - The emergence of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella poses growing public health challenges, with companion animals and their diets representing under recognised transmission routes. Despite increasing use of raw pet food (RPF) and statutory reporting of canine Salmonella infections, limited genomic data have been used to investigate potential transmission pathways and their implications for human health. In order to identify potential zoonotic links and characterise antimicrobial resistance, we conducted a genomic analysis of Salmonella spp. isolates from dogs ( n = 1,017) and raw meat pet food ( n = 206) collected between 2006 and 2024 through a collaborative surveillance programme. All isolates underwent whole genome sequencing (WGS), and comparative genomic analysis was performed against human clinical isolates. Among 1,223 sequenced isolates, 676 unique 5 SNP single linkage clusters, across 29 different Salmonella serovars were identified. Overall, 27.2% (148/545) of canine isolates and 23.7% (27/114) of RPF isolates were genetically related to human cases, with 88.2% (15/17) of shared dog–RPF isolates also clustering with human infections. Multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains, including those resistant to critically important antimicrobials, were detected in both dogs and RPF. Salmonella Typhimurium predominated across human and canine isolates including the distribution of MDR within multiple clusters. These findings highlight the zoonotic risk associated with dogs and raw pet food within domestic settings, underscoring the need for targeted public health messaging and strengthened One Health genomic surveillance.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -