Veterinary Medicine - March 2008 - (Page Virbac4)

From the expert Douglas DeBoer, DVM, DACVD, with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine, shares his opinions on glycotechnology products. 1 What can practitioners expect to see with dermatologic cases after implementing glycotechnologybased products? Every practitioner knows how common— and frustrating—skin infections and inflammation are in everyday practice. Glycotechnology-based topical products incorporate various sugars that inhibit attachment of—and even displace— microbes such as Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, and Malassezia to—or from—epithelial cells. Therefore, these products may help resolve skin infections and prevent relapses of chronic infections. The sugars also have been shown to decrease inflammatory cytokine release from epithelial cells, suggesting that they may help reduce inflammation. 3 How do you implement these products in your practice? 2 How can practitioners educate clients about these products? Clients need to understand your rationale for recommending maintenance therapy, even after resolution of clinical signs. They need to know that certain organisms, such as yeast and staphylococci, are normal inhabitants of skin and that after you eliminate a Staphylococcus or yeast overgrowth problem, nature will eventually return these organisms to the skin. Measures to limit colonization and growth of these microbes often include long-term antimicrobial shampoo therapy every one to four weeks. As with all shampoo therapies, contact time and frequency are important to stress to owners. All medicated shampoos, including the new glycotechnology-based products, should remain in contact with the skin for 10 to 15 minutes to allow ingredients to act on or penetrate the skin. Be sure to educate your staff members on how to explain correct shampooing techniques to owners. I use glycotechnology-based topicals most often with cases of chronic ear infections and atopic dermatitis. Following the resolution of an ear infection, many patients require long-term maintenance therapy, such as gentle irrigation of the ear with a solution. Though most routine ear solutions have a cleansing action, many do not contain ingredients that inhibit microbial growth and, therefore, are less suitable for longterm maintenance therapy than products based on glycotechnology. With atopic dermatitis, my major goals are inflammation and infection control. Atopic skin is highly colonized by microbes, particularly staphylococci and yeast, and recurrent infections contribute to patient discomfort. Products based on glycotechnology may help reduce microbial attachment and growth and prevent future infections and inflammation—and the need for glucocorticoid, antibiotic, and antifungal treatment. 4 What are the benefits of using these products? The biggest potential benefit is fewer relapses in patients with chronic skin and ear disease. Fewer relapses equal less antibiotic use, healthier pets, and happier owners. In addition, it allows the veterinarian to focus more time on other patients. From a more global view, the chronic use of antibiotics for staphylococcal infections may be a factor in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of staphylococci. Practitioners are becoming increasingly aware of the potential hazards of chronic antibiotic use, and I foresee widespread efforts to limit such use whenever possible. Preventing recurrent skin infections, and thereby minimizing antibiotic use, is not only good for the individual patient but also for animal health in general. © 2008 Virbac Animal Health. All rights reserved. To view this publication online, visit www.advanstarvhc.com/c33 Cover image by Ryan Kramer VC1-0208 http://www.advanstarvhc.com/c33

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - March 2008

Veterinary Medicine - March 2008 Contents Toxicology Brief Idea Exchange A Challenging Case An Update on Diagnosing and Treating Primary Lung Tumors CE Form Product Preview Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - March 2008

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