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small
talk
07
Antibiotics are essential drugs
for treating bacterial infections.
They have brought great
benefits to humans and
domestic animals by enabling
the treatment of diseases that
previously caused significant
morbidity and mortality.
Unfortunately antibiotics have
become victims of their own
success and their increasing
usage has encouraged the
development of antibacterial
resistance.
At the same time as antibiotics
becoming less effective as a
result of the development of
antibacterial resistance, there
has been a reduced rate of
development of new drugs.
These two factors mean that
we need to protect the
effectiveness of the antibiotics
we have through responsible
use and stewardship.
In the UK all veterinary
antibiotics are prescription-only
medicines (POM-V), therefore
the responsibility for and
control of antibacterial use
rests with the prescribing
veterinary surgeon. The Royal
College of Veterinary Surgeons
(RCVS) has stated that,
The development and
spread of antimicrobial
resistance is a global public
health problem that is
affected by both human and
animal use of these medicinal
products. Veterinary surgeons
must be seen to ensure that
when using antimicrobials
they do so responsibly, and be
accountable for the choices
made in such use.
The responsible use
of antibiotics does
not simply mean
using less antibiotics,
it means justified use
(based on a properly
established diagnosis)
of the most appropriate
sensitive antimicrobial in a
way optimising its clinical
efficacy in the specific clinical
cases. The first decision to be
made is whether antibiotic
treatment is appropriate in
a particular case;
Factors
that may
need to be taken into
consideration are:
“
“
Once it has been
decided that the
use of antibiotics in
a particular case is
justified, the veterinary
surgeon can maximise the
likelihood of therapeutic
success and minimise the
likelihood of selecting
resistant bacteria.
Does the condition necessitate
antibiotic treatment
?
Are there other options besides
antibiotic treatment
?
Will the potential risk of
inducing resistance outweigh
the benefit of treatment
?
Is the proposed treatment
likely to work against the
pathogen involved
?
Are there any risks to public
health when this is done
?
Is the pet owner aware of
the need for compliance with
dosing instructions
?