^Bone

 

Knowledge of the bacterial species present when dealing with an infectious condition will be very helpful in selecting an appropriate antimicrobial and therefore culture and sensitivity testing is often indicated. If this information is not available, a combination of cytology and a knowledge of which pathogens are likely for a given situation may help in selecting an appropriate antimicrobial. Some sites of infection have predictable common bacterial species, for example Staphylococci in canine pyoderma.³ Knowledge of the site of infection may also suggest whether bacteria are likely to be aerobic or anaerobic, for example abscesses are likely to involve obligate and facultative anaerobes.³

 

Suggested antimicrobials for bone infections*

Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid^3,83

Clindamycin^3,17,83

Fluoroquinolones³

1st generation cephalosporin^3,83 (including cefazolin¹⁸) or cefovecin³

Metronidazole¹⁷

 

Common bacterial pathogens

Staphylococcus spp.^3,19

Streptococcus spp.^3,19

Also Escherichia coli, Proteus spp. Pseudomonas spp. and anaerobes.³

 

*Suggested antimicrobials are based on references from scientific literature and may not necessarily reflect UK market authorisations for the relevant species or condition. Veterinary surgeons are advised to carefully check the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) before prescribing a product.