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Home / Equine Research Bank / Zoonoses Public Health / A quarterly Survey of antibiotic prescribing in small animal...
Zoonoses and public health2022; 69(7); 864-874; doi: 10.1111/zph.12979

A quarterly Survey of antibiotic prescribing in small animal and equine practices-Minnesota and North Dakota, 2020.

Abstract: Antimicrobials are critical for medicine, but the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effectiveness of these valuable drugs. In USA, there are no national- or state-level programs or policies in place to track antibiotic use (AU) in dogs, cats, and horses, despite acknowledgement of this sector's importance to both the AMR problem and its solution. AU measurement is a key part of antibiotic stewardship and AMR prevention. This study aimed to fill existing gaps in the veterinary professions' knowledge of antibiotic prescribing in small animals and horses. To address this aim, medical record data were collected on a single day per quarter for 1 year from 19 Minnesota and North Dakota small animal and equine practices, totaling 1,899 veterinarian consults of dogs, cats, and horses. Overall, 25.8% of all canine, feline, and equine consults involved an antibiotic prescription. Third-generation cephalosporins were the most commonly prescribed systemic antibiotic drug class, and the long-acting injectable drug, cefovecin, was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for cats (34.5%). Topical antibiotic preparations were prescribed frequently, especially in dogs (42.5% of canine prescriptions), though systemic antibiotics were often prescribed concurrently. Common general indications, based on problem or diagnosis recorded in the medical record, for antibiotics in all species combined were skin conditions (24.4%), otitis (22.1%), ophthalmic (9.4%), gastrointestinal (8.3%), respiratory (8.3%), and urinary tract (7.6%) diseases. While 44.2% of patients for which antibiotics were prescribed had cytology performed, only 3.9% had bacterial culture and susceptibility performed. In a pre-study survey, veterinarians' recommendations for AU differed from actual prescribing, suggesting collection of AU data provides more accurate assessments of veterinary prescribing behaviour than surveys. This study shows feasibility of AU measurement in small animals and horses. The data collection tool and standard operating procedures described prove suitable for national AU data collection.
© 2022 The Authors. Zoonoses and Public Health published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2022-05-29 PubMed ID: 35643964PubMed Central: PMC9796041DOI: 10.1111/zph.12979Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
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  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article investigates and reports the usage of antibiotics in small animal and equine practices across North Dakota and Minnesota, United States over the span of one year.

Overview and Objective of the Study

  • The main objective of this study was to address the knowledge gap concerning the prescription of antibiotics in small animals and horses. This comes in the background of understanding the increasing problem of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and the lack of state- or national-level programs tracking Antibiotic Use (AU) in these animals.
  • The researchers aimed to scrub through medical records from 19 veterinary practices in Minnesota and North Dakota to gather data on AU. The data covered 1,899 consultations involving dogs, cats, and horses.

Findings

  • In all the consultations, about a quarter (25.8%) involved a prescription for antibiotics.
  • Third-generation cephalosporins emerged as the most commonly issued systemic antibiotic. Moreover, for cats, the long-acting injectable drug cefovecin was predominantly prescribed (34.5%).
  • The research pointed out that topical antibiotic preparations were commonly prescribed, especially for dogs, wherein 42.5% of prescriptions were for these preparations.
  • Common reasons for antibiotic prescriptions across all species were skin conditions (24.4%), otitis (22.1%), ophthalmic (9.4%), gastrointestinal (8.3%), respiratory (8.3 percent), and urinary tract (7.6%) diseases.
  • A noteworthy fact was that while 44.2% of patients prescribed antibiotics had cytology performed, only 3.9% had bacterial culture and susceptibility performed.

Implications and Conclusions

  • The study uncovered discrepancies between veterinarians’ recommendations for AU and actual prescribing practices, suggesting that data collection provides a more accurate evaluation of veterinary prescribing behavior than surveys.
  • Science acknowledged that there is a need for a measurement of AU to contribute to antibiotic stewardship and help in preventing AMR. Hence, the study showed the feasibility and value of AU measurement in small animals and horses.
  • The data collection tool and standard procedures used were adequate and could be applied for national-level AU data collection.

Cite This Article

APA
Bollig ER, Granick JL, Webb TL, Ward C, Beaudoin AL. (2022). A quarterly Survey of antibiotic prescribing in small animal and equine practices-Minnesota and North Dakota, 2020. Zoonoses Public Health, 69(7), 864-874. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12979

Publication

Zoonoses and public health
ISSN: 1863-2378
NlmUniqueID: 101300786
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 69
Issue: 7
Pages: 864-874

Researcher Affiliations

Bollig, Emma R
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Granick, Jennifer L
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Webb, Teckla L
  • College of Health Professions, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
Ward, Christie
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Beaudoin, Amanda L
  • Minnesota Department of Health, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Cats
  • Cephalosporins
  • Dogs
  • Horses
  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota / epidemiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
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