ABSTRACT
Prophylactic antimicrobial drug use Prophylaxis is a legitimate reason for antimicrobial use in the critically ill patient. However, rational and responsible use of antimicrobial drugs for this purpose is encouraged because the emergence of multidrugresistant strains of bacteria in veterinary medicine has already begun to parallel the situation in human medicine.1-6 Pathogens resistant to multiple commonly used antimicrobial drugs are increasingly being cultured from hospitalized horses. They include methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus7-9 methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis10, penicillin-resistant Actinobacillus spp.11, and aminoglycoside-resistant Escherichia coli.6,12,13
The following guidelines are proposed for prophylactic antimicrobial use: • Use based on risk: use only in patients at
significant risk for infection or when infection would have catastrophic consequences.
