title: Airway microbial culture and susceptibility patterns in dogs and cats with respiratory disease of varying severity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare airway microbiological culture and susceptibility results in 2 groups of dogs and cats: 1 with respiratory failure requiring positive pressure ventilation (PPV) and 1 with respiratory disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two dogs and cats requiring PPV that had an airway microbiologic culture submitted from October 1, 2003 to October 31, 2008 were included. One hundred and four airway microbiologic cultures from dogs and cats with respiratory disease not requiring PPV were randomly sampled for comparison.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with respiratory failure were more likely to have a gram-negative enteric isolate identified (P<0.001), while patients with respiratory disease were more likely to have a gram-negative nonenteric isolate (P<0.001) or anaerobic isolate (P<0.001) identified. Aerobic bacterial isolates from patients with respiratory failure were less likely to be susceptible to ampicillin (P=0.006), amoxicillin/clavulonate (P<0.001), chloramphenicol (P=0.004), enrofloxacin (P<0.001), ticarcillin/clavulonate (P=0.004), and the combination of ampicillin with enrofloxacin (P<0.001) than were aerobic bacterial isolates from patients with respiratory disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Canine and feline patients with respiratory failure severe enough to require PPV exhibit a different pattern of bacterial isolates cultured from their airways when compared with isolates from patients with respiratory disease that has not resulted in ventilator dependence. These isolates are more likely to be resistant to commonly used antimicrobials/antimicrobial combinations than patients in the respiratory disease group. These findings suggest that in canine and feline patients with infectious lower respiratory tract disease, consideration of the severity of the pulmonary insult may allow for better prediction of likely isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Further prospective studies with a standardized collection technique are warranted.
authors.affiliation: William R. Pritchard, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California– Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. seepstein@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mellema
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hopper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006762:Hospitals, Animal; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000662:veterinary; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000382:microbiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012582:Schools, Veterinary
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents