02134nas a2200265   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260007000043653000900113653002100122653001500143653002100158653001700179653001100196100001200207700001400219700001200233700001300245700001500258245012100273300001100394490000800405520144100413022001401854       2011                            d  c02/2011bSchlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KGaHannover10aESBL10acompanion animal10aantibiotic10amulti resistance10aSurveillance10areview1 aC Ewers1 aM Grobbel1 aA Bethe1 aL Wieler1 aS Guenther00aExtended-spectrum beta-lactamasesproducing Gram-negative bacteria in companion animals: action is clearly warranted!  a94-1010 v1243 aExtended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Gram-negative bacteria pose a serious threat to Public Health in human medicine as well as increasingly in the veterinary context worldwide. Several studies reported the transmission of zoonotic multidrug resistant bacteria between food-producing animals and humans, whilst the contribution of companion animals to this scenario is rather unknown. Within the last decades a change in the social role of companion animals has taken place, resulting in a very close contact between owners and their pets. As a consequence, humans may obtain antimicrobial resistant bacteria or the corresponding resistance genes not only from food-producing animals but also via close contact to their pets. This may give rise to bacterial infections with limited therapeutic options and an increased risk of treatment failure. As betalactams constitute one of the most important groups of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine, retaliatory actions in small animal and equine practices are urgently needed. This review addresses the increasing burden of extendedspectrum beta-lactam resistance among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from companion animals. It should emphasize the urgent need for the implementation of antibiotic stewardship as well as surveillance and monitoring programs of multi resistant bacteria in particular in view of new putative infection cycles between humans and their pets.  a0005-9366