Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
A new study has found raw dog food to be a major source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which researchers say poses an international public health risk.
The research warns that "the trend for feeding dogs raw food may be fuelling the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," with the bacteria in raw dog food "identical" to those found in hospital patients in several EU countries.
, researchers out of the University of Porto in Portugal analyzed dog food from various supermarkets and pet shops for Enterococci, a type of drug-resistant bacteria that lives in the gut of humans and animals but can cause severe infections if found in other parts of the body.
They examined 55 samples of dog food from 25 brands, including wet, dry, semi-wet, raw frozen and treats, available in Europe and the United States. According to the study, the raw-frozen foods included duck, salmon, turkey, chicken, lamb, goose, beef and vegetables.
It is unclear if the dog foods studied are also sold in Canada.
In an email to CTVNews.ca on Tuesday, Freitas said the brands were not disclosed in the study as researchers would need a "more robust study" with a larger number of samples to "extract conclusions about differences in brands."
Of the foods studied, researchers reported that 30 samples (54 per cent) contained Enterococci and all of the raw food samples contained the drug-resistant bacteria.
By comparisons, only three of the non-raw samples contained Enterococci, according to researchers.
"The close contact of humans with dogs and the commercialization of the studied brands in different countries poses an international public health risk," Ana Freitas, a microbiologist and one of the study's authors, said in a .
The findings, published online in the , were presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) on Saturday.
The study reported that 40 per cent of the Enterococci found were resistant to antibiotics including erythromycin, tetracycline, quinupristin-dalfopristin, streptomycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin and ciprofloxacin.
Researchers noted that there was also resistance to vancomycin and teicoplanin, and 23 per cent of the Enterococci were .
Linezolid is a "last-resort antibiotic" used on severe infections when other drugs have failed. It is considered a "critically important treatment" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Using genetic sequencing, the researchers also found that some of the multi-drug resistant bacteria in the raw dog foods was similar to bacteria isolated from hospital patients in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.
In another experiment, researchers transferred the antibiotic resistance genes from the bacteria found in dog foods to other bacteria, showing that this can occur in nature.
The researchers warn that the antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in dog foods could potentially spread to humans and may be an "overlooked driver" of antibiotic resistance globally.
The WHO classes antibiotic resistance as "one of the greatest public health threats facing humanity," with drug-resistant infections killing an estimated 700,000 people a year globally.
Experts say that figure is projected to rise to 10 million by 2050 if no action is taken.
To protect themselves, Freitas says, dog owners should always wash their hands with soap and water after handling pet food or cleaning up after their dog. In addition, the researchers are calling on the practices of pet food manufacturers to be assessed.
"European authorities must raise awareness about the potential health risks when feeding raw diets to pets and the manufacture of dog food, including ingredient selection and hygiene practices, must be reviewed," Freitas said in the release.
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says that Tom Homan, his former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, will serve as "border czar" in his incoming administration.
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2022 Dobbs decision eliminated the federal right to abortion, miscarriage management has become trickier and in some cases, deadlier.
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
It was the first time that Canadian UN peacekeeper Michelle Angela Hamelin said she came up against the raw emotion of a people so exasperated with their country's predicament.
Applause erupted over and over at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Sunday as the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, spoke about his father.
A children's book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticized for causing offense to Indigenous Australians.
A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.