In this episode we are joined by Dr. Virginia Fajt, a clinical pharmacologist from Texas A&M University. Dr. Fajt served as the chair of the VET09 subcommittee of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) which created this resource. VET09 assists veterinarians with instituting one of the core principals of antimicrobial stewardship which is judicious use of antimicrobials. We review some basic pharmacologic terms that are defined in the document as well as factors that might influence the veterinarians decision process in selecting an antimicrobial. Dr. Fajt discusses some of the nuances of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and interpretation. Veterinarians should consider regulatory factors as well as if the pathogen has a breakpoint established for that body system. For example, there are no breakpoints for enteric pathogens in cattle, therefore AST results for enteric pathogens should be interpreted with caution. We also discuss interpretation of AST results for mastitis pathogens and the limitation of applying sensitivity testing to pathogens in the udder. Finally, Dr. Fajt discusses the fact that there are no breakpoints for antimicrobials administered in the feed or water and therefore applying results to those routes of administration might be erroneous.
Relevant documents:
We encourage you to purchase the VET09 document as part of your reference library. Cost for non-CLSI members is only $50 and can be purchased here.
A recorded presentation on the VET09 document can be viewed at no charge by going to this link.
AABP Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines.
AVMA Core Principals of Antimicrobial Stewardship.
AVMA Definitions of Antimicrobial Use for Treatment, Control and Prevention.