Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) is a group of bacteria with resistance to powerful carbapenem antibiotics such as meropenem. They’re also usually resistant to various other antibiotics, which makes them a big concern because treatment options are very limited, and unfortunately the rate of CPE infections in people is increasing rapidly. To treat them, physicians typically need
Treatment Duration For Pneumonia in Dogs and Cats: Systematic Review
Whether it’s dealing with an individual patient or developing international antimicrobial use guidelines, one of the bigger challenges we face in regard to antimicrobial treatments for dogs and cats is determining how long different infections need to be treated.
Unfortunately the treatment durations most commonly used are not evidence-based. We have very little data to
Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Guidelines In Dogs and Cats
Antimicrobials are often used at the time of surgery, but it’s widely accepted that there is tremendous overuse of antimicrobials in this context in both human and veterinary medicine. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is indicated in some surgical patients to reduce the risk of surgical site infection, but in a large percentage of cases use of antimicrobials
Antimicrobial Use in Animals: When More Might Be Better
That headline might get some people worked up, but hopefully they’ll read the whole post before firing off an angry email.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a huge problem in humans and animals, which means we need to improve or optimize how we use antimicrobials, but this is not synonymous with reducing use. Most of the
Need to Review More Breakpoints For Antibiotics in Cats
Change is tough. Repeated changes are even tougher, especially when it takes a lot of time and effort for each one to be understood and implemented. But change is also good – and important – when it improves how we do things.
In 2024, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) changed some important breakpoints
Antibiotics and Planetary Health
I’m on my way back from Copenhagen where we had a very productive meeting to update the ISCAID pyelonephritis antimicrobial treatment guidelines for dogs and cats. As the process for developing guidelines like these has matured, it’s no longer about simply getting some very smart people in a room and agreeing on recommendations; it’s now
Antibiotics For Pyometra Surgery in Dogs
It’s World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. Did you know that? Probably not. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a huge global health threat with an unfortunately crappy marketing plan.
I’m on my way back from the BC One Health and Zoonoses Symposium where I was talking about AMR. It’s a complex issue and there are a
Tritrichomonas Infections in Cats: Treatment Dilemma
Tritrichomonas blagburni (formerly T. foetus) is a frustrating cause of diarrhea in cats. This parasite causes chronic diarrhea that will most often ultimately resolve on its own, but it can take months (or longer). During that time, most cats are largely healthy but with very messy feces (and they’re infectious). Some cats do feel
Ozzie Had a UTI (There Has To Be Some Irony There)
As someone who works a lot with infectious urinary tract disease in animals and has led urinary treatment guidelines, I guess it’s fitting that my dog got an infection.
To start, I’ll slap myself on the wrist for saying it was a urinary tract infection (UTI). We’ve been trying to improve the terminology in this
My “Dear Veterinarian” Letter: Nitrofurantoin
Regulatory bodies sometimes issue “Dear Veterinarian” (or similar) notices about important issues pertaining to drugs and rug use, like the recent FDA’s letter to veterinarians about extralabel use of fenbendazole in dogs. These notices are used to get important information out to veterinarians, to try to head of future problems.
My topic