Bordetella hinzii isolated from samples of commercially available raw pet food for cats in the United Kingdom (SHORT COMMUNICATION)

Raw meat diets for pets are frequently contaminated with potentially pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria. Here we present the first report, to our knowledge, of Bordetella hinzii, a respiratory pathogen of poultry and rare but emerging opportunistic respiratory pathogen in humans, detected incidentally in commercially available frozen pre-prepared raw meat diets for cats. B. hinzii was isolated from five samples of raw meat diets, from two separate brands, purchased from a retailer in the United Kingdom. Samples were a single-protein source and comprised chicken, beef, and rabbit. Whole genome sequencing indicated the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes with potential to confer resistance to multiple drug classes, including classes of highest priority critically important antibiotics. Whilst this study was limited by a small dataset and additional research surrounding the risks of transmission of B. hinzii is required, this novel finding indicates a further potential risk associated with the provision of raw meat diets for pets, particularly for the immunocompromised, that warrants further investigation.