Microbial Sharing Between Pediatric Patients and Therapy Dogs During Hospital Animal-Assisted Intervention Programs

Details

• Personal Author:
  Agnew J ; Carroll KC ; Chen AR ; Dalton KR ; Davis MF ; Grice EA ; Morris DO ; Mueller NT ; Planet PJ ; Redding LE ; Rubenstein RC ; Ruble K ; Thorpe RJ Jr.
• Description:
  Microbial sharing between humans and animals has been demonstrated in a variety of settings. However, the extent of microbial sharing that occurs within the healthcare setting during animal-assisted intervention programs is unknown. Understanding microbial transmission between patients and therapy dogs can provide important insights into potential health benefits for patients, in addition to addressing concerns regarding potential pathogen transmission that limits program utilization. This study evaluated for potential microbial sharing between pediatric patients and therapy dogs and tested whether patient-dog contact level and a dog decolonization protocol modified this sharing. Patients, therapy dogs, and the hospital environment were sampled before and after every group therapy session and samples underwent 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize microbial communities. Both patients and dogs experienced changes in the relative abundance and overall diversity of their nasal microbiome, suggesting that the exchange of microorganisms had occurred. Increased contact was associated with greater sharing between patients and therapy dogs, as well as between patients. A topical chlorhexidine-based dog decolonization was associated with decreased microbial sharing between therapy dogs and patients but did not significantly affect sharing between patients. These data suggest that the therapy dog is both a potential source of and a vehicle for the transfer of microorganisms to patients but not necessarily the only source. The relative contribution of other potential sources (e.g., other patients, the hospital environment) should be further explored to determine their relative importance. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Microbiology Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Animal-assisted Interventions Disease Transmission Health Care Facilities Hospital-associated Pathogens Infectious Agents Intervention Microbiome Microorganisms Pathogens Patient Safety Zoonoses

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• ISSN:
  2076-2607
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Missouri ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 7 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  9
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062818
• Citation:
  Microorganisms 2021 May; 9(5):1054
• Contact Point Address:
  Kathryn R Dalton, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
• Email:
  Kdalton4@jhu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Microorganisms
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c526eb609d113815d6a5c4686bf35d5d8ee3d46f7b27e42d8a96dfee0703229901957b9ec3f92576db6c84539f6ae37fa951eff45c3869f15e1b9a9134ae71d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226000/cdc_226000_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 16.09 MB ]