Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine skin allows fusidic acid to penetrate for topical staph
By Frosini, Sian-Marie et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2017·Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Opportunities for topical antimicrobial therapy: permeation of canine skin by fusidic acid.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a topical treatment with fusidic acid, an antibiotic, can effectively penetrate the skin of dogs and may be a good option for treating skin infections caused by staph bacteria. This is important because staph infections are common in dogs and often require antibiotics. The research showed that fusidic acid reached high enough levels in the skin to potentially kill the bacteria responsible for these infections. Further testing in real dogs is needed to confirm its effectiveness as an alternative to oral antibiotics.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · fusidic acid for dogs · topical antibiotics for dog staph infection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Staphylococcal infection of the canine epidermis and hair follicle is amongst the commonest reasons for antimicrobial prescribing in small animal veterinary practice. Topical therapy with fusidic acid (FA) is an attractive alternative to systemic therapy based on low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs, commonly <0.03 mg/l) documented in canine pathogenic staphylococci, including strains of MRSA and MRSP (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and S. pseudintermedius). However, permeation of canine skin by FA has not been evaluated in detail. This study aimed to define the degree and extent of FA permeation in canine skin in vitro from two sites with different hair follicle density following application of a licensed ophthalmic formulation that shares the same vehicle as an FA-betamethasone combination product approved for dermal application in dogs. Topical FA application was modelled using skin held in Franz-type diffusion cells. Concentrations of FA in surface swabs, receptor fluid, and transverse skin sections of defined anatomical depth were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) analysis. RESULTS: The majority of FA was recovered by surface swabs after 24 h, as expected (mean ± SEM: 76.0 ± 17.0%). FA was detected within 424/470 (90%) groups of serial sections of transversely cryotomed skin containing follicular infundibula, but never in 48/48 (100%) groups of sections containing only deeper follicular structures, nor in receptor fluid, suggesting that FA does not permeate beyond the infundibulum. The FA concentration (mean ± SEM) in the most superficial 240 μm of skin was 2000 ± 815 μg/g. CONCLUSIONS: Topically applied FA can greatly exceed MICs for canine pathogenic staphylococci at the most common sites of infection. Topical FA therapy should now be evaluated using available formulations in vivo as an alternative to systemic therapy for canine superficial bacterial folliculitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29162115/