Healthy pet dogs and cats could be passing on antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as genes that play a key role in bacterial resistance to their owners, according to new research to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April). The study is by Dr. Juliana Menezes from the University of Lisbon in Portugal and Dr. Sian Frosini from the Royal Veterinary College, UK, and colleagues.