Changes in the approach to canine and feline urinary tract infections

Changes in the approach to canine and feline urinary tract infections

The increasing antimicrobial resistance seen both in the medical and veterinary fields has led to the development of guidelines aimed at promoting rational use of antibiotics. With no significant development of novel antibiotics, it is vital that we rationalise the use of those that are currently available to us to maintain their effectiveness. It is imperative that we treat infections with as specific a choice of antibiotics as possible as well as limit the use of antimicrobials that predispose to the development of multi-drug resistance.

The implementation of guidelines has been shown to significantly improve antimicrobial prescribing practices. The key objective of these guidelines is to give the practising veterinarian an update on rational antimicrobial use and to act as an instrument for rapidly selecting the optimal antimicrobial for empirical treatment whilst minimising the risk for resistance development. Guidelines should be interpreted as general recommendations that are reasonable and appropriate for the majority of cases being considered.

Urinary tract infections are frequently encountered in companion animals and accounts for significant use of antimicrobials with inappropriate antimicrobial choice leading to a variety of patient health, economic, public health and regulatory concerns. This organ system is also a common source of multi-resistant cultures and therefore a more rational use of antibiotics for these infections could lead to a significant reduction in the selection for, and spread of, multi-resistant bacteria.

About our Speaker: Dr Monique Engelbrecht

Monique is a newly qualified South African and European small animal internal medicine specialist. She completed her undergraduate Degree in 2015, was unlucky enough to complete her CCS year at an abattoir in the Western Cape, and then went on to complete a rotating internship at Onderstepoort. This sparked her interest in small animal medicine, and she continued on to complete her residency training at the faculty. She is currently working at Fourways Vet Hospital and enjoys the challenge and pace of private practice. After all of the years of studying, in her free time she enjoys doing absolutely nothing! Alternatively she enjoys the outdoors or spending time at home with her family and three dogs. 

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