Clinical, bacteriological and histopathological aspects of first-time pyoderma in a population of Iranian domestic dogs: a retrospective study

Background: Staphylococci are the most common cause of pyoderma in dogs. Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate clinical, bacteriological and histopathological aspects of bacterial skin infections in a population of Iranian domestic dogs with firsttime pyoderma. Methods: The study animals were 61 clinical cases of Iranian domestic dogs with firsttime pyoderma. The diagnosis of pyoderma was based on the history, the presence of variable gross cutaneous lesions, positive findings on microscopic examination of surface cytology and histopathological findings. Results: Detection of pyoderma amongst adult dogs was significantly higher than puppies (P=0.001). Large breed dogs were presented more frequently for pyoderma in comparison to small breeds (P=0.002). Bacterial species were recovered from 43 of the 61 (70.49%) studied animals. No isolates were recovered from 18 studied dogs. The most frequently recovered bacterial genus was Staphylococcus (32/43 isolates, 74.41%) including: S. epidermidis (22/43 isolates, 51.16%), S. aureus (7/43 isolates, 16.27%), and S. pseudintermedius (3/43 isolates, 6.97%). Staphylococci species resistance was most commonly seen against amoxicillin (94.11%), penicillin (83.35%), and ampicillin (76.47%). Resistant to cephalexin and cefoxitin was 5.88% and 2.94%, respectively. A total of 27 of the staphylococci isolated (84.37%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent and 19 isolates (59.37%) were resistant to three or more antimicrobial drugs. Conclusion: A better understanding of this microbial population is critical for clarification of the pathophysiology of bacterial skin diseases.