Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for bovine respiratory disease: getting more from diagnostic results

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is one of the most common diseases of cattle worldwide. Given the significant bacterial component of this disease, antimicrobial agents remain one of the mainstays of therapy. However, the potential welfare and economic impact resulting from the selection of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy for BRD poses significant risks to both animal and animal owner. To determine the 'best' antimicrobial agent for a specific case, the decision-making process needs to incorporate all available evidence, often including the results of bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. While antimicrobial susceptibility testing can be a valuable diagnostic tool, integrating the test results into the clinical decision making process can be a challenging experience. This review details the process by which interpretive criteria for susceptibility tests are developed. Principles for how to best integrate antimicrobial susceptibility testing, both at the individual animal test and aggregate test levels, into the clinical decision making process are discussed. Non-traditional testing methodologies and how they may improve susceptibility testing in the future are also reviewed.