Continuing education — Voortgesette opleiding Antimicrobial selection, administration and dosage

INTRODUCTION For the treatment of a bacterial infection, the antimicrobial agent selected must have activity against the causative pathogenic microorganism and must attain effective concentrations at the site of infection. The ultimate criterion of successful therapy is a favourable clinical response to the treatment. Such a response depends on the interrelations between the causative pathogenic microorganism the antimicrobial drug selected and dosage used, and the animal receiving treatment. Inadequacy of host defense mechanisms, particularly in neonatal foals and in immuno-compromised animals, could contribute to a discrepancy between the expected and actual response to antimicrobial therapy. In these animals, it is preferable to use antimicrobial agents, alone or combined, that produce a bactericidal effect.