373 To cite this paper: Wibisono FJ, Widiasih DA, Mentari AO, Isnaeni M, Qurratu'ain SH, Jalal I, Islam AF, Al Fardiansyah, and Nguyen-Viet H (2024). Multidrug Resistance in Stray Cats of The North Surabaya Region, East Java, Indonesia. World Vet. J., 14(3): 373-379. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.54203/scil.2024.wvj44 2024, Scienceline Publication World ’s Veterinary Journal World Vet J, 14(3): 373-379. ISSN 2322-4568 Multidrug Resistance in Stray Cats of The North Surabaya Region, East Java, Indonesia Freshinta Jellia Wibisono 1 , Dyah Ayu Widiasih 2* , Andi Oktaviana Mentari 1 , Mutia Isnaeni 1 , Seryna Hasna Qurratu'ain 1 , Ismul Jalal 1 , Afif Fajrul Islam 1 , Al Fardiansyah 1 , and Hung Nguyen-Viet 3 1 Departement Veterinary Public Health, Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universitas Wijaya Kusuma Surabaya, Indonesia 2 Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 3 International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya *Corresponding author's Email: dyahaw@ugm.ac.id ABSTRACT Stray cats survive by getting food or drink that is available in the environment, correspondingly, stray cats have relatively high exposure to antibiotic resistance obtained from resistant bacteria found in the environment. The present study was conducted to determine patterns of multidrug resistance and Escherichia coli resistance in stray cats. A total of 50 stray cat anal swab samples were taken randomly from the previously recorded stray cat population in the Surabaya area, East Java, Indonesia. Samples were brought using buffered peptone water. They were cultured on MacConkay Agar differential selective media, and all suspicious colonies of Escherichia coli were examined by biochemical tests. Isolates were then identified, and susceptibility testing was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The results of the resistance test indicated that the multidrug resistance in Escherichia coli bacteria taken from cats was 14.6% (7/48). The high antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli bacteria in stray cats, which were resistant to many drugs, provides an early warning of environmental health. Environmental health is closely related to animal and human health, especially antibiotic resistance. Keywords: Antibiotic, Antimicrobial resistance, Escherichia coli, Multidrug resistance, Stray cat ORIGINAL ARTICLE Received: June 27, 2024 Revised: July 19, 2024 Accepted: August 21, 2024 Published: September 25, 2024 INTRODUCTION Stray cats which inhabit unregulated and open environments, demonstrate a remarkable adaptability, enabling them to thrive in diverse settings despite lacking human ownership (Vasileva and McCulloch, 2023). Cats are potentially exposed to pathogen infection from the environment (Agustin and Ningtyas, 2022). Previous research by Mauwalan et al. (2022) showed the existence of Escherichia coli resistance in an environment in Indonesia. The level of antibiotic resistance in the ampicillin 100%, streptomycin 73.3%-86.7%, gentamicin 100%, and kanamycin 33.3%. Pathogen contamination is generally caused by the entry of feces, animal waste, and garbage into water bodies, such as the return of wastewater into wells and leaky water pipes in dirty areas. Stray cats have a significant potential to interact with such environments, triggering the spread of pathogens such as Escherichia coli bacteria (Gargano et al., 2022). Escherichia coli is a gram-negative known as a normal flora found naturally in the digestive tract of humans and animals. Escherichia coli is considered pathogenic when its concentration surpasses typical levels (Mueller and Tainter, 2023). Antibiotic drug use in the animal sector reached 80% (Hosain et al., 2021). The effectiveness of antibiotics against some animals, such as cats has decreased currently, this is indicated by an increase in multidrug resistance observed in 9% of isolated cats (Li et al., 2021). Improper dosage, indications, and antibiotic use can lead to animal resistance (Rahman et al., 2022). Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria adapt and thrive in an environment exposed to antimicrobials, posing a severe threat to public health globally (Salam et al., 2023). Multidrug resistance refers to resistance to three or more different groups of antibiotics (Mandal et al., 2022). High levels of multidrug resistance in Escherichia coli were detected in healthy and diseased cats, raising concerns about transmission to humans and supporting the need for a one-health approach to address the potential threat of cats as a reservoir for AMR (Fayez et al., 2023). Since cats interact with humans, studying antibiotic resistance is crucial whether domestic or stray, facilitating the transfer of genes for resistance to the common bacterium Escherichia coli (Li et al., 2021; Fayez et al., 2023). It is crucial to determine the resistance levels of Escherichia coli in stray cats to ampicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline due to the significant antibiotic resistance present in the environment. Stray cats are exposed to the environment, which DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.54203/scil.2024.wvj44 PII: S232245682400044-14