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EQUINE MATTERS
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
Preventing
antibiotic
resistance
Jacqui Paton BVSc CertEP MRCVS,
Scarsdale Veterinary Group
Veterinary surgeon
Jacqui Paton
XLVets Equine practice
Scarsdale Veterinary
Group
Antibiotic resistance is one of the key threats
to human and animal health. With this
in mind, the British Equine Veterinary
Association (BEVA) has developed the Protect
ME antimicrobial initiative to promote the
responsible use of antibiotics by equine vets.
Why do we need to worry about
antibiotic resistance?
l
Every time an antibiotic is used
there is
the potential for the bacteria to become
resistant to that drug.
l
Every time an antibiotic is used
that is not
essential, the risk of resistance outweighs
any potential benefit of the drug.
l
It is vital that antibiotics are used
very
carefully to ensure that they are available
to help our horses for as long as possible.
What does resistance mean?
Once bacteria become resistant to an
antibiotic, they will no longer be controlled
by that drug and all the drugs in that group
will be ineffective against bacteria. Those
bacteria can then pass their resistance to
other bacteria in the same horse, other
animals or people.
Why do we need to control
antibiotic usage?
There are no new types of antibiotics being
developed to replace the existing drugs, only
slow improvement of the existing ones.
Therefore it is essential that we try to use
these drugs responsibly. If vets do not
self-regulate their antibiotic usage then
legislation may be introduced which would limit
the antibiotics we have available for horses.
This would mean that our ability to treat severe
infections in horses would be extremely limited.
When can we avoid antibiotics
altogether?
There are many situations when antibiotics
are not helpful, your vet will guide you as to
when they may not be necessary. Examples
of when antibiotics will not be helpful include
viral infections, allergies, uncomplicated foot
abscesses and many causes of diarrhoea. If
they are not required, you should not expect
your veterinary surgeon to dispense them.
They are acting in the best interests of your
horse to ensure that these drugs work when
they are needed.
How do we decide which
antibiotics to use?
BEVA's responsible antibiotic use guidelines
have identified antibiotics categorised as
critically important and pledged to PROTECT
them. They are not necessarily better or more
effective than other antibiotics, however these
antibiotics are relied on for the treatment of
difficult infections in human and equine
disease. It is very important that we do not
over-use these drugs in order to prevent
resistance to them increasing.
Under the BEVA ProtectME scheme we use
good recognised antibiotics for first line
treatment. The use of protected antibiotics is
reserved for situations where laboratory tests
show it is the only suitable drug, first line
antibiotics have failed to treat an infection or
for very specific situations. We record the use
of all protected antibiotics to monitor their use.
What can you do to help?
Horses rarely carry diseases that affect
humans and similarly humans rarely infect
horses. However there are some important
exceptions, including MRSA and Salmonella
which can pass between horses, or from one
horse, via you, to another horse. Thorough
hand washing is important to reduce
contamination and prevent the development
of diseases in your horse or yourself.
If your horse has been prescribed antibiotics,
ensure that he receives the full amount for the
full length of time. Giving a reduced dose
or not giving a whole course of antibiotics
can increase the likelihood of antibiotic
resistance developing.
The future
Many practices have now implemented the
BEVA ProtectME guidelines and by working
together we should be able to help
safeguard antibiotics for use in equine
disease and reduce the development of
antibiotic resistance.
Culture and sensitivity testing guides
appropriate antibiotic use