Dog owners warned against sharing bed with their pets due to ‘untreatable superbug’

Dog owners are being urged not to regularly share their beds with their pets, following the spread of an "untreatable superbug."

The mcr-1 gene, which is believed to be transmitted from animals to humans, has built up a resistance to certain life-saving drugs.

It was first identified in China in 2015 and is transported from animals to humans through microscopic faecal particles.

Currently, drug-resistant infections are responsible for killing an estimated 700,000 people a year worldwide, the UN said. This number could rise to 10 million by 2050 if nothing is done.

How can the gene be transported? 

A study at the University of Lisbon examined the presence of the gene in households and found where dogs had tissue infections, the gene was present in the dog and the owner.

Faecal samples of 126 healthy people living with 102 cats and dogs in 80 households were taken over two years up to February 2020.