Empirical antibiotic therapy in infectious diseases of small animals

Antibiotic resistance is an important risk factor for human and animal health.  The inappropriate use of antibiotics for productive animals has a direct link with the selection and distribution of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in humans, which leads to the loss of effective antibiotics for the treatment of many infectious diseases in humane and veterinary medicine. This attracts the attention of the scientists of the whole world, as the number of infectious diseases increases, are not treatable and end lethal.  The global problem of the use of antibiotics in productive animals, the emergence and spread of resistant pathogenic microorganisms has been reflected in a number of international declarations and documents. Organization of food products control and Agriculture (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have developed strategic principles for the purpose of productive interaction and cooperation in the field of human health, animal health and the stability of the ecological system. However, in most programs, including national ones, control over the use of antibiotics is concentrated on productive animals, in connection with the risk of the residual quantities of antibiotics and persistent microorganisms in the human body. In contrast, the use of antibiotics for small animals remains beyond the attention of scientists and is less controlled, and the danger of the emergence and spread of resistant forms of microorganisms – high. The development of resistance of microorganisms in small animals is facilitated by various factors, which are basically based on non-compliance with the principles of rational use of antibiotics. Free access to antibiotics in Ukraine complicates this situation, since the owners of animals are engaged in the treatment of their pets, which also contributes to the development of resistance of microorganisms. In this article the basic principles of rational use of antibiotics for small animals and the experience of using antibiotics of various pharmacological groups in various diseases in clinical practice in recent years are analyzed.