title: Suggested guidelines for using systemic antimicrobials in bacterial skin infections (1): diagnosis based on clinical presentation, cytology and culture.
abstract: Systemic antimicrobials are critically important in veterinary healthcare and resistance is a major concern. Antimicrobial stewardship will be important in maintaining clinical efficacy by reducing the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Bacterial skin infections are one of the most common reasons for using systemic antimicrobials in dogs and cats.Appropriate management of these infections is therefore crucial in any policy for responsible antimicrobial use. The goals of therapy are to confirm that an infection is present, identify the causative bacteria, select the most appropriate antimicrobial, ensure that the infection is treated correctly, and to identify and manage any underlying conditions. This is the first of two articles that will provide evidence-led guidelines to help practitioners address these issues. This article covers diagnosis, including descriptions of the different clinical presentations of surface, superficial and deep bacterial skin infections, how to perform and interpret cytology, and how to best use bacterial culture and sensitivity testing. The second article, to be published in a subsequent issue of Veterinary Record, will discuss therapy,including choice of drug and treatment regimens.
authors.affiliation: Cabinet Vétérinaire, Spa, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beco
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guaguère
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorente Méndez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nuttall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vroom
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002415:Cats; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D004285:Dogs; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents