Antimicrobial use guidelines published for multiple species

Veterinary prescribing guidelines

Addressing OIE Strategy Objective:

Improve awareness and understanding

Experts in Australia developed prescribing guidelines for several animal species. These will help veterinarians to reduce inappropriate use of antimicrobials.

In Australia’s National AMR Strategy – 2020 and Beyond, pillar objective 4 covers “Appropriate Usage and Stewardship Practices”. One of the priority areas for action is to “ensure that coordinated, evidence-based antimicrobial prescribing guidelines and best-practice supports are developed and made easily available, and encourage their use by prescribers”. To directly address this area, prescribing guidelines for several animal species were developed by collaborations between expert panels of authors.

Contents of the guidelines

The guidelines contain best-practice prescribing information to help clinical veterinarians appropriately use antimicrobials by considering the 5 ‘rights’:

• right drug
• right time
• right dose
• right duration, and
• right route.

Species guidelines

1. Poultry
2. Pigs
3. Bovine – medical and surgical categories
4. Equine – medical and surgical categories
5. Companion animals – medical and surgical categories

Achievements

As a result of the project, the following were achieved:

• Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines were developed for several important food-producing and companion animal species in Australia – poultry, pigs, companion animals, equids, bovine species.
• These are published online and have been widely promoted.

Use of these guidelines will support the appropriate use of antimicrobials.

Report prepared by Dr Samantha Ellis, Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, Australia