Antimicrobial Usage in Bovine Veterinary Medicine in Washington State

Abstract

To support Washington (WA) state bovine veterinarians in antimicrobial stewardship, we surveyed and interviewed bovine veterinarians regarding antimicrobial prescription practices. From February 2023 to February 2024, we surveyed and interviewed active, licensed WA state bovine veterinarians. Survey questions covered demographics, perceptions, and clinical cases. Responses were analyzed by a clinical veterinary microbiologist. Interviews discussed herd health management, prescription practices, and explored survey trends. A systematic qualitative analysis of interviews was performed. We analyzed 14 survey responses, one group conversation (20 veterinarians), and two in-depth interviews. Respondents identified owner/producer compliance and prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics as factors contributing to antimicrobial resistance within veterinary medicine. Over half of respondents reported using personally developed guidelines. Respondents chose the most appropriate treatment option in 66% of cases. Participants often selected empiric antimicrobials for respiratory cases but chose diagnostic tests and non-antimicrobial treatments for mastitis and diarrhea cases. Veterinarians interviewed clarified that they do not culture for respiratory pathogens because culture results are not clinically actionable and there are limited legal antibiotic drug choices available in food animal medicine.These results highlight stewardship opportunities in bovine medicine, including the need for resources to clarify regulatory status, clinical indications, and appropriate usage ofcritically important antibiotics. Limited clinically actionable diagnostic data for bovine respiratory disease emerged as a significant barrier to antibiotic stewardship. Our results emphasize the need for resources to support bovine veterinarians in antimicrobial stewardship, particularly regarding regulatory compliance, clinical treatment indications, and stewardship principles. More research studies on effective antimicrobial treatment approaches for bovine respiratory conditions are needed.