Microbial Sharing between Pediatric Patients and Therapy Dogs during Hospital Animal-Assisted Intervention Programs

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Human-Animal Interaction
• Healthcare-Associated Infections

Background:

• Microbial sharing between humans and animals is known, but not within healthcare settings during animal-assisted interventions.
• Understanding patient-dog microbial transmission is crucial for assessing health benefits and addressing pathogen transmission concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate microbial sharing between pediatric patients and therapy dogs.
• To determine if patient-dog contact levels and dog decolonization protocols affect microbial sharing.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze microbial communities.
• Samples were collected from patients, therapy dogs, and the hospital environment before and after therapy sessions.
• Microbial sharing was assessed in relation to contact levels and a decolonization protocol.

Main Results:

• Both patients and dogs showed changes in nasal microbiome diversity and abundance, indicating microbial exchange.
• Higher patient-dog contact correlated with increased microbial sharing between patients and dogs, and among patients.
• A chlorhexidine-based decolonization protocol reduced microbial sharing between dogs and patients.

Conclusions:

• Therapy dogs can act as a source and vehicle for microbial transfer to patients.
• Microbial sharing occurs not only between patients and dogs but also among patients.
• Further research is needed to explore other sources of microbial transfer, such as the hospital environment.