Efficacy of tylosin tartrate on canine Staphylococcus intermedius isolates in vitro

In the past 5 years, the incidence of canine skin infections caused by resistant strains of Staphylococcus (pseud)intermedius has increased. Many older antibiotics are used to treat these infections because the sensitivity can be demonstrated in vitro. Additionally, many of these older drugs are efficacious and unlikely to induce multidrug resistance. More than a decade ago, the antibiotic tylosin tartrate was reported to be efficacious in vitro and in vivo against Staphylococcus intermedius. The purpose of this study was to determine whether S. (pseud)intermedius isolated from untreated pyoderma cases at veterinary referral centers across the United States are sensitive in vitro to this antibiotic. Minimum inhibitory concentrations for tylosin tartrate and other commonly used antibiotics were determined for 103 isolates. Most (82.61%) of the isolates not exposed to antibiotics in the 3 months before submission were sensitive to tylosin tartrate. These findings suggest that tylosin tartrate warrants further study as a first-line option for the treatment of dogs initially presenting with pyoderma.