Recognising and controlling risk factors for antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial resistance amongst organisms such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and S. pseudintermedius has become a serious threat to veterinary small animal practice. There is an urgent need to adopt measures which will control and reduce this problem. Risk factors for infection by resistant organisms in small animals are now becoming recognised and appear to mirror those in human medicine. They include contact with carriers or infected animals, hospital admission, invasive procedures and antimicrobial therapy. Key recommendations which enable such risk factors to be avoided are: development of protocols which ensure that antimicrobials are used only when necessary, selection of appropriate antimicrobials and compliance with correct dosage and administration, limitation of prophylactic and perioperative use, and recording of treatment outcomes so that therapeutic regimens can be evaluated and modified if necessary. In addition, there is a need for rigorous hygiene protocols to prevent survival and transfer of resistant bacteria in clinics and hospitals.