Antimicrobial Use in Companion Animals: Assessing Veterinarians’ Prescription Patterns through the First National Survey in Chile

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health issue for both animal and public health agencies. One major driver for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistant bacteria is antimicrobial use by animal and health workers. Information about the use of antimicrobials in companion animals has been poorly described worldwide, and currently there is no data at the Latin American or national level, which represents a risk to public health. The aim of this study was to describe the antimicrobial prescription patterns of Chilean companion animal veterinarians by means of a nationally distributed survey. Three hundred twenty-three responses were collected, most of the respondents were female (59.4%). The most frequently reported bacterial diseases were pyoderma (17.2%), followed by otitis (7.4%) and abscesses (7.4%). Critically important or highly important drugs for veterinary and human use were the most frequently used. Only 15% of the veterinarians reported the use of laboratory diagnostic tests prior to prescribing antimicrobials. Our results show that different classes of antimicrobials are used in clinical practices for companion animals without the use of confirmatory laboratory tests, which represents a risk to animal and public health. ABSTRACT: Although the relationship between the use of antimicrobials and the development of resistant bacteria is well established, information about the use of antimicrobials in companion animals has been poorly described, which represents a risk to public health. The aim of this study was to describe the antimicrobial prescription patterns of Chilean companion animal veterinarians. A nationally distributed survey targeted at companion animal veterinarians was designed. The survey included questions about the veterinarian’s demographics, bacterial diseases treated, prescribed antimicrobials, and the use of laboratory diagnostic tools. Three hundred twenty-three responses were collected, most of the respondents were female (59.4%). The most frequently reported bacterial diseases were pyoderma (17.2%), followed by otitis and abscesses (7.4%). The antimicrobials most used corresponded with critically or highly important drugs for veterinary and human use, including β-lactams (65.3%), quinolones (36.2%) and tetracyclines (23.2%). Only 15% of the veterinarians reported the use of laboratory diagnostic tests, although 67% declared they were aware of the official antimicrobial classification schemes. Our results describe for the first time the usage of antimicrobials by veterinarian practitioners in Chile to treat different diseases in companion animals. The data presented here provide a baseline that could help to promote the implementation of clinical guidelines and regulations in order to improve current treatments.