Can pyoderma in dogs be treated with fewer antibiotics?

email: elizabeth.layne@wisc.edu Staphylococcal skin infections, generally referred to as pyoderma, are a very common reason for the prescription of antimicrobials for pet dogs.1-3 These infections, usually involving Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, vary in severity based on the depth of infection, the location on the body, the extent of body surface involved, the dog’s general health status and any underlying skin disease.4 Superficial staphylococcal lesions consist of papules, pustules and/or epidermal collarettes (Fig 1), while deep skin infection generally presents with furuncles, draining tracts and/or haemorrhage from erythematous and oedematous skin (Fig 2). Bacterins – suspensions of lysed or attenuated bacteria used as vaccines to increase immunity to particular pathogens – have been used sporadically to treat pyoderma in dogs, and Propionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus are two bacterial species that have been used to produce bacterins for this purpose. To address this knowledge gap, a study by Wilson and colleagues, summarised on p 739 of this issue of Vet Record, investigated the efficacy of an autogenous S pseudintermedius bacterin in dogs with pyoderma.16 This bacterin was produced by the Royal Veterinary College and had previously been shown to be reasonably efficacious in reducing pyoderma lesions.17 The medical records from dogs that had received the bacterin over a 12-year period, from 2002 to 2014, were sought based on orders for the bacterin. While idiopathic recurrent pyoderma is recognised, there is generally always an underlying skin or systemic disease leading to recurrent skin infection.4,6 Atopic dermatitis is very commonly associated with pyoderma, and ectoparasitism, keratinisation disorders, endocrinopathies and other systemic illness can also predispose a dog to pyoderma.