Page 141 - congress

ORAL PRESENTATION / SÖZLÜ SUNUM

A Retrospective Analysis of Antimicrobial Prescribing Trends in Veterinary Clinical Practice

Azizahan TURSUNOVA¹ * Murat CENGİZ²
,

¹Bursa Uludağ University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and
Toxicology, Nilüfer, Bursa, TÜRKİYE
²Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, Nilüfer, Bursa, TÜRKİYE

Although antimicrobial agents remain essential therapeutic tools in the treatment of infectious
diseases in veterinary medicine, their inappropriate and widespread use contributes to therapeutic
failures in animals and increases the burden of zoonotic-origin antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As
emphasized by international authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World
Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the prudent use of antimicrobials in the veterinary field has
become a public health priority within the One Health framework. In this context, identifying
prescribing patterns based on clinical data and analyzing current usage practices are crucial for
developing local guidelines and shaping national resistance surveillance strategies. This study aimed
to retrospectively evaluate systemic antimicrobial usage habits, the distribution of prescribed agents,
indications, and routes of administration in a veterinary teaching hospital in Türkiye. This
retrospective study was conducted by examining medical records of 210 cases that received systemic
antimicrobial treatment at Bursa Uludağ University Veterinary Teaching Hospital between 2023 and
2024. Standardized case forms were used to extract data, including animal species, systemic
diagnosis, prescribed antimicrobial agents (including combinations), administration routes, and
treatment durations. Antimicrobials were categorized as oral or parenteral based on their
pharmaceutical formulations. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Of all prescriptions
reviewed, 54.6% involved oral administration, while 43.5% were administered parenterally,
predominantly via intravenous and intramuscular routes. The most frequently prescribed
antimicrobial agents were enrofloxacin (18.6%), amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (11.4%), clarithromycin
(11.4%), metronidazole (11.0%), cefixime (10.0%), cefovecin (7.1%), ampicillin–sulbactam (7.6%),
clindamycin (6.2%), and azithromycin (2.9%). In feline cases, the most common indications for
systemic antimicrobials were urinary tract infections (42.4%), followed by lower respiratory tract
diseases (23.1%) and systemic infections (22.4%). This distribution suggests that antimicrobial usage
in cats is primarily directed toward the management of urinary and respiratory tract infections. In
canines, the most frequent indication was skin and soft tissue infections (29.2%), followed by
gastrointestinal diseases (18.6%), indicating a preference for treating cutaneous and digestive
system infections. Notably, certain agents were prescribed empirically or for off-label use, and
multiple different antimicrobials were used for the same indication, reflecting a lack of standardized
clinical protocols. The study highlights that empirical antimicrobial use is common in veterinary
clinical practice and that broad-spectrum antibiotics are often selected as first-line therapy. This
practice may promote the selection of resistant bacterial populations and reduce treatment efficacy
over time. Particularly, the frequent use of fluoroquinolones, third-generation cephalosporins, and
macrolides, classified by WHO as Critically Important Antimicrobials (CIA), necessitates close
monitoring. Moreover, clinical decisions appeared to rely more on practitioner experience than on
laboratory confirmation, revealing a need for integrating rapid susceptibility testing into routine
practice. This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of antimicrobial prescribing in a
veterinary faculty hospital in Türkiye. The findings contribute valuable insights for promoting rational
antibiotic use in veterinary clinics and for informing national AMR mitigation strategies. Based on the
results, it is recommended that clinical usage guidelines, rapid sensitivity testing panels, and
electronic prescription tracking systems be developed to support evidence-based decision-making in
veterinary medicine.
Keywords: Veterinary prescribing patterns, antibiotic use, one health, antimicrobial resistance.

138