Pseudomonas aeringosa in rabbits (nasal swab)

Re: Pseudomonas aeringosa in rabbits (nasal swab)

Marie Kubiak — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:00:49 GMT

Ceftazidime is the cephalosporin I have been using for multi-resistant Pseudomonas cases in rabbits (and reptiles) where this often ends up being one of the few available choices. It does involve twice daily injections so isn't acceptable for every owner.

I would be suspicious of nasal swab results in lower resp tract dyspnoea as you often don't get representative samples. Potentiated sulphonamides aren't of much use with purulent accumulations (so many sinusitis/lower resp infections) so you're choices get narrow! I rarely use penicillins other than as palliation in chronic infections where surgical/invasive treatments are declined, I don't feel it very effective in clearing infections in a lot of cases and feel there is partial/complete resistance in a lot of infections. My two most recent rabbit pseudomonas cases were also resistant to penicillins on sensitivity... Rabbit URTI infections are often more than just a simple bacterial mucosal invasion - osteomyelitis, sinuses full of pus and dental disease are common factors so there are a lot of different problems to try and control and antibiotics alone will only work in a proportion of cases.

Marie

Re: Pseudomonas aeringosa in rabbits (nasal swab)

taliab — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 00:36:53 GMT

argh! thought i had a copy of the results from the last one sampled but i don't!

it was actually pseudomonas fluorescens this time! (privately owned bunny) from memory cephalexin was one of the antibs it was resistant to, along with enrofloxacin, (amoxycillin and amoxy clav.) The ones it was sensitive to were potentiated sulphonamides (so started on septrin 30mg/kg BID), marbofloxacin...and cant remember the other 2 off the top of my head...(i think possibly gentamycin was one?)

but took another nasal swab from another bunny today to send off to lab as been on septrin, bayril and metacam since early jan and not improving, and as from same location as previous pseudomonas aeringosa case wouldnt be surprised if this one did too. The last one wasn't resistant to cephalexin so would be interested to hear more about this.

What do you think of penicillin G (depocillin) in respiratory tract cases, its the first time I had used it in these cases and it didnt go very well...have used it fairly successfully for abscesses before and others had said it can work for some URTI bunnies so though I would give it a go but would you try anything else first (after septrin/baytril).

Thanks

Re: Pseudomonas aeringosa in rabbits (nasal swab)

Marie Kubiak — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 17:19:04 GMT

We've had an increase in Pseudomonas cultures from bunnies lately (facial abscesses and otitis media mostly), I treat based on selecting what is safest for a herbivore of the antibiotics indicated on sensitivity results. A couple recently with very limited Pseudomonas antibiotic susceptibilty have done well on injectable cephalosporin regimes which I was a little apprehensive of initially. Post the C&S results when you can, more can be used in bunnies than the common antibiotics!

Marie