ComPath is a pan-European antimicrobial surveillance program collecting bacterial pathogens from dogs and cats not recently exposed to antimicrobials. We present minimum inhibitory concentration data obtained using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methodology for 616 urinary tract infection (UTI) isolates collected between 2008 and 2010. In both dogs and cats, the most common pathogen was Escherichia coli (59.8% and 46.7%, respectively). Antimicrobial activity against E. coli in dogs and cats was similar with fluoroquinolone and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole susceptibility >90%. Ampicillin susceptibility was ∼80%. Staphylococcus intermedius Group isolates from dogs (67/437, 15.3%) had high antimicrobial susceptibility (>90%) toward beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Four canine isolates (6%) were oxacillin resistant, and harbored mecA. Proteus mirabilis from dogs (48/437, 11.0%) had high antimicrobial susceptibility (∼90%) to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, enrofloxacin, and marbofloxacin and slightly lower susceptibility (∼80-85%) to ampicillin and orbifloxacin. Streptococcus canis isolates (35/437, 8.0%) from dogs were all susceptible to ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and >90% susceptible to marbofloxacin. Although resistance was not observed, high intermediate susceptibility was seen for both enrofloxacin (28.6%) and orbifloxacin (85.7%). Overall, antimicrobial in vitro activity appears to be high in UTI pathogens from dogs and cats with low multidrug resistance, although a lack of specific dog and cat breakpoints for important antimicrobials such as cefovecin, cephalexin, and ibafloxacin prevents analysis of susceptibility for these agents.

The results are a reference baseline for future surveillance. The paucity of clinical breakpoints underlines the need to set breakpoints for relevant antibiotics.

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The objective of the study was the safety and efficacy evaluation of a new 450 mg/ml florfenicol formulation in the treatment of naturally occurring respiratory disease when administered intramuscularly, compared with a positive control group treated with the well-established 300 mg/ml formulation. A total of 174 calves, selected from five sites in France and Spain, aged from 1 to 17 months, showing severe signs of respiratory disease, were randomly assigned to treatment with either the 300 mg/ml (3 ml/45 kg; Nuflor; MSD Animal Health) or 450 mg/ml (2 ml/45 kg; Nuflor Minidose; MSD Animal Health) florfenicol formulation, both administered intramuscularly twice, two days apart. Animals were clinically observed daily for 14 days following treatment initiation. The predominant pathogens present in pretreatment respiratory tract samples were Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida. Mycoplasma bovis and Histophilus somni were also present. All isolates were subjected to in vitro sensitivity testing and found susceptible to florfenicol. In both treatment groups, rectal temperature dropped and clinical index (depression and respiratory signs) significantly improved (P<0.05) after treatment. As a result, 97.7 per cent of the 450 mg/ml florfenicol formulation-treated animals were considered treatment successes on day 5. On day 14, 67.82 per cent of the animals were classified as treatment successes and among them 63.22 per cent were cured. The intramuscular injection of the new 450 mg/ml florfenicol formulation was found equally efficacious as the original 300 mg/ml formulation.

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