Uso de antimicrobianos por médicos veterinários na área de clínica médica de pequenos animais

Abstract

The use of antimicrobials has become more relevant in society, in human health, in animals’ health or even in the husbandry field. Their use is part of the veterinaries daily routine and is present in the treatment of a variety of infections caused by pathogenic bacteria. However, the indiscriminate use may bring expected or unintended consequences, such as the bacterial resistance. The aim of this study is to analyze the use of antimicrobials in clinic area of small animals by veterinarians as well as list the difficulties faced by them. To that effect, a 19- question questionnaire was applied to a total of 53 volunteers, veterinaries who work within the field. The questionnaire was applied in both physical and online (Google Forms) versions. Among the topics approached, it is possible to mention the frequency and how these medicines are used, which are the most used antimicrobials groups, the worries about the subject, etc. 92.45% out of the veterinaries frequently use antimicrobials, 83% use as main treatment and their average treatment duration is 7 days. 39.62% use them to treat digestive diseases, 26.41% treat surgeries in general and 9.43% dermatological diseases. The most used antimicrobials groups are: cefalosporines, beta-lactam and sulfonamides. The biggest problem faced by veterinaries is the lack of commitment by owners with the treatment, 66.03% believe they would get better results using antibiotic susceptibility test (AST), 49.05% and 43.39% believe that treatment suspension and inadequate drugs usage are associated to bacterial resistance, respectively. Thus, we can conclude that the use of AST as a clinic daily routine would make antibiotic protocols more efficient and reduce the bacterial resistance