Ongoing Outbreak of Extensively Drug-Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Infections Associated With US Pet Store Puppies, 2016-2020

This survey study identified 168 cases from public health reports of Campylobacter infections with an epidemiologic or molecular link to pet store puppies from 2011 to 2020; 97% of patients reported contact with a dog, of whom 88% reported contact with a pet store puppy. Isolates were resistant to 7 antibiotic classes, including all recommended treatment agents.

Extensively drug-resistant C jejuni strains have emerged as a cause of illness among pet store customers, employees, and visitors; infections caused by these strains cannot be treated with commonly recommended oral antibiotics.