A Spanish Survey on the Perioperative Use of Antimicrobials in Small Animals

Bacteria associated with canine pyometra and concurrent bacteriuria: A prospective study

Canine pyometra is a common and potentially life-threatening reproductive disorder in intact female dogs. This prospective study aimed to (1) investigate the bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibilities of bacterial isolates from the uterus and urine of dogs with pyometra, (2) assess the clonal relatedness and virulence factors of Escherichia coli isolates from individual dogs, and (3) determine the occurrence of concurrent and persistent bacteriuria or clinical urinary tract infections. Bacterial isolates from 208 uterine and 203 urine specimens collected during pyometra surgery were analyzed. Additionally, follow-up urine specimens were collected from 56 dogs with perioperative bacteriuria. Bacterial growth was detected in 87 % (180/208) of uterine specimens, while concurrent bacteriuria was observed in 33 % (67/203) of cases. In one-third (18/56) of these dogs the bacteriuria persisted, being primarily (15/18) asymptomatic. E. coli was the most common isolate in both uterine (71 %) and urine (81 %) specimens. Notably, altogether 32 distinct bacterial species were identified, with mixed growth in 15 % of the specimens. The vast majority of isolates were largely susceptible to tested antimicrobials. Identification of bacterial species was performed using MALDI-ToF MS, and antimicrobial susceptibility was assessed by disk diffusion. Whole-genome sequencing of 45 E. coli strains from fifteen dogs indicated high genetic similarities within individual dogs, supporting a clonal relationship. In conclusion, canine uteri with pyometra contained a plethora of bacterial species, predominantly E. coli, and antimicrobial resistance was rare. Concurrent and persistent E. coli bacteriuria was commonly caused by the same clone as found in the uterus.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis in companion animal surgery: A scoping review for European Network for Optimization of Antimicrobial Therapy (ENOVAT) guidelines

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) is widely used to reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSI), but there is uncertainty as to what the proportion of SSI reduction is. Therefore, it is difficult for surgeons to properly weigh the costs, risks and benefits for individual patients when deciding on the use of SAP, making it challenging to promote antimicrobial stewardship in primary practice settings. The objective of this study was to map the veterinary evidence focused on assessing the effect of SAP on SSI development and in order to identify surgical procedures with some research evidence and possible knowledge gaps. In October 2021 and December 2022, Scopus, CAB Abstracts, Web of Science Core Collection, Embase and MEDLINE were systematically searched. Double blinded screening of records was performed to identify studies in companion animals that reported on the use of SAP and SSI rates. Comparative data were available from 34 out of 39123 records screened including: eight randomised controlled trials (RCT), 23 cohort studies (seven prospective and 16 retrospective) and three retrospective case series representing 12476 dogs and cats in total. Extracted data described peri- or post-operative SAP in nine, and 25 studies, respectively. In the eight RCTs evaluating SAP in companion animals, surgical procedure coverage was skewed towards orthopaedic stifle surgeries in referral settings and there was large variation in SAP protocols, SSI definitions and follow-up periods. More standardized data collection and agreement of SSI definitions is needed to build stronger evidence for optimized patient care.