Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Use of Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance in Veterinary Medicine as Exemplified by the Swine Pathogen Streptococcus suis.
- Journal:
- Current topics in microbiology and immunology
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Seitz, Maren et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institute for Microbiology · Germany
Plain-English summary
This study looks at the use of antibiotics in treating infections in pigs, specifically focusing on a bacteria called Streptococcus suis, which is common in swine. While antibiotics are important for keeping pigs healthy and ensuring safe food products, there's a growing concern about bacteria becoming resistant to these medications. The review discusses how S. suis can survive even when antibiotics are used, due to its ability to develop resistance and other factors like forming protective layers or co-infections with other bacteria. Overall, the findings highlight that we still have a lot to learn about how to effectively treat infections in pigs and the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance.
Abstract
Use of antimicrobial agents in veterinary medicine is essential to control infectious diseases, thereby keeping animals healthy and animal products safe for the consumer. On the other hand, development and spread of antimicrobial resistance is of major concern for public health. Streptococcus (S.) suis reflects a typical bacterial pathogen in modern swine production due to its facultative pathogenic nature and wide spread in the pig population. Thus, in the present review we focus on certain current aspects and problems related to antimicrobial use and resistance in S. suis as a paradigm for a bacterial pathogen affecting swine husbandry worldwide. The review includes (i) general aspects of antimicrobial use and resistance in veterinary medicine with emphasis on swine, (ii) genetic resistance mechanisms of S. suis known to contribute to bacterial survival under antibiotic selection pressure, and (iii) possible other factors which may contribute to problems in antimicrobial therapy of S. suis infections, such as bacterial persister cell formation, biofilm production, and co-infections. The latter shows that we hardly understand the complexity of factors affecting the success of antimicrobial treatment of (porcine) infectious diseases and underlines the need for further research in this field.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27738916/