chapter
Antibiotic Stewardship^7
and Emerging Resistant
Bacterial Infections
EMERGING RESISTANT BACTERIA PYODERMA – OVERVIEW
There is an emergence of bacterial infections in the dog (infrequent in the cat) that
are resistant to the usual antibiotic susceptibility patterns.
These infections pose a therapeutic challenge.
It is imperative that primary factors be identified and that the owners be able to con-
sistently administer the therapeutic protocol (drugs and topical therapy) for the entire
treatment course in order to obtain therapeutic success and quell public health impli-
cations of antimicrobial resistance.Correct terminology when discussing these infections is vital to avoid alarming our
clients: MRSA is, fortunately, less common in the dog than methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius(MRSP).Veterinarians should practice careful antibiotic stewardship and participate in the
global One Health Initiative.
Antibiotics should be used only when necessary, selection should be based on an
educated choice, dosing should be optimal, and antibiotics should be used for an
appropriate length of time.Clients should be advised of the hazards of incomplete or partial therapy.
Topical therapy should be considered as a “first choice” substitute for oral antibiotics
in the vast majority of cases; shampoo therapy should either be chosen as a sole form
of therapy or as an adjunct protocol for all cases of pyoderma: bathing mechanically
removes debris and lowers surface bacterial counts; a medicated shampoo will also
aid in killing microbes.Shampoo therapy is not only an effective protocol for treatment of active infection
but will also aid in prevention of recurrence; moisturizing ingredients are vital to
prevent increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) which could exacerbate the
dermatitis.Emperic antibiotic selection should be reserved for an initial flare of superficial pyo-
derma; a culture “with speciation” and susceptibility testing should be done for all
recurrent or nonresponsive cases.Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Small Animal Dermatology, Third Edition.
Karen Helton Rhodes and Alexander H. Werner.
©2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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