Sleeping with dogs!

According to new research from the U.S. dog owners are more likely to share germs with pets by not washing their hands than by sleeping with the dog.

The researchers from Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine say dog owners who sleep with their pet or allow their dog to lick their face are no more likely to share the same strains of E. coli bacteria with their pets than less intimate dog owners.

Dr. Kate Stenske, a clinical assistant professor at K-State University says surveys reveal that more than half of dog owners bond with their pets in these ways and such human-animal bonding behaviours are no more likely to spread germs.

Dr. Stenske studied this association as part of her doctoral research at the University of Tennessee and she says this is good news because there are physical and psychological benefits linked with pet ownership.

Dr. Stenske became interested in the topic because there of the strong bond between dogs and their owners - 84% of those polled said their dog was like a child to them.

The surveys also found that nearly half of all dog owners share food with their dogs, allow the dog to sleep in the bed and lick them on the face.

Dr. Stenske says it is well known that diseases can be shared between dogs and people - about 75% of emerging diseases are zoonotic, meaning they are transferable between humans and other animals - and this knowledge encouraged her to examine the public health aspects of such activities.

The study focuses on the E. coli bacteria, which is common in the gastrointestinal tracts of both dogs and humans and as a rule, causes few problems.

However Dr. Stenske says E. coli bacteria can acquire genes to make it antibiotic resistant so the study examined fecal samples from dogs and their owners and looked at the bacteria's DNA fingerprints.

It was found that 10% of dog-human pairs shared the same E. coli strains and that the E. coli had more resistance to common antibiotics than expected, though the dog owners had more multiple-drug resistant strains than their pets.

Dr. Stenske says this suggests that dogs are not likely to spread multiple drug-resistant E. coli to their owners, but rather that owners may spread them to their dogs.

She says the study demonstrates that antibiotics affect the bacteria within the human gastrointestinal tract and should only be taken when absolutely necessary and then the entire prescription should be finished as directed.

The research revealed that bonding behaviours such as sharing the bed or allowing licks on the face had no association to an increase in shared E. coli.

However, Dr. Stenske says what it did show was an association between antibiotic-resistant E. coli and owners who didn't wash their hands after petting their dogs or before cooking meals.

Dr. Stenske says common sense should always be used along with the good general hygiene practice.

Future research might focus on the relationship between shared E. coli and the behaviours of cat owners - Dr. Stenske says not only is cat ownership higher than dog ownership in the United States, but cats also interact with people in different ways than dogs.

Dr. Stenske says while there is more to be learned, pet lovers should continue to own and love pets because they provide a source of companionship - but they also need to make sure they wash their hands often.

The research is scheduled to appear in the American Journal of Veterinary Research.