Antimicrobial Use and Stewardship in Veterinary Medicine
Antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine plays a critical role in animal health, but it also has implications for antimicrobial resistance that can affect both animals and people. Understanding how and why antibiotics are prescribed in different veterinary settings helps identify patterns of use, potential overuse, and opportunities for improvement. Antimicrobial stewardship is a series of efforts undertaken by individuals and institutions/hospitals to ensure that antibiotics are used only when necessary, at the right dose, and for the right duration—guided by evidence-based protocols whenever possible. However, in many cases, especially in companion and food animal medicine, formal treatment guidelines may be limited or absent. In these situations, collecting real-world data and performing controlled studies is essential to inform the development of responsible and practical guidelines that support both animal welfare and public health.
Antimicrobial use patterns in veterinary medicine
The first step in improving antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine is to understand how these drugs are used in the first place and what drives prescribing decisions. We have compiled antimicrobial use data in a variety of settings - from the farm, to the hospital, to the racetrack - to elucidate patterns, establish baselines prior to stewardship interventions, and demonstrate practitioner-level variability.
Quantification of Antibiotic Use on Pennsylvania Dairy Farms
Antimicrobial prescribing patterns of clinicians at a large animal veterinary teaching hospital
Antimicrobial prescribing patterns in equine ambulatory practice
Critically important antimicrobials are frequently used on equine racetracks
Antimicrobial administration practices in hospitalized periparturient goats: a multi-center study
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Antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine
Understanding drivers of antimicrobial prescribing can be useful in identifying methods to implement antimicrobial stewardship interventions. We have interviewed veterinary stakeholders - from veterinarinans to veterinary technicians to pet owners - to understand their perspectives on antimicrobial use in animals. Lessons learned from these studies have been useful in deciding where future efforts are needed. At the same time, we have tested methods for refining antimicrobial use in the veterinary setting, such as antimicrobial use reports for clinicians and education initiatives targeted at the veterinary client to decrease antibiotic-seeking behavior.
Antimicrobial prescribing patterns of clinicians at a large animal veterinary teaching hospital
Addressing individual values to impact prudent antimicrobial prescribing in animal agriculture
Pet Owner Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward the Judicious Use of Antimicrobials in Companion Animals
The Potential Role of Veterinary Technicians in Promoting Antimicrobial Stewardship
Posters have limited utility in conveying a message of antimicrobial stewardship to pet owners
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Evidence-based antimicrobial use guidelines
A critical point that emerged from interviews with veterinarians was that there is a lack of evidence-based guidelines for antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine, which makes prescribing "appropriately" difficult. Well-designed, randomized, controlled clinical trials comparing different antimicrobial regimens (or no antibiotics to a more "standard" regimen) are necessary to produce these guidelines. While these studies can be difficult to conduct and take a long time to complete, they are crucial. We partner with clinicians in the veterinary hospital to conduct these trials and attempt to produce these guidelines.
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