The introduction of antimicrobial drugs to veterinary medicine has made a dramatic improvement in the health of our horses, but it’s alarming when infections do not respond to these drugs. “It is not a new phenomenon, but there has been ever-growing concern about antimicrobial resistance,” said Josie Traub-Dargatz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, of Colorado State University, in her presentation at the recent American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention. (Read more about antimicrobial resistance topics discussed at the convention in article #4047 at www.TheHorse.com.)

The frequency of treatment failure in equine patients due to antimicrobial resistance is unknown because there is no national system to monitor resistance of animal pathogens. However, there are plenty of documented cases of resistant infections in equine patients, and a number of reasons why veterinarians should be concerned about the issue