Dr. Rod Getchell

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In 30 minutes, Dr. Peter Smith convinced me that there is a need for a standard method of measuring antibiotic susceptibility.

This National University of Ireland professor spoke with such passion that, by the time his plenary session at the 5th International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health had ended, method standardization seemed like a worthy quest to follow. I left the room feeling we should all try to contribute to this mission.

The prudent and rational use of antimicrobials is critical to a successful fish farming operation. Yet, discovering whether a particular bacterial isolate is sensitive or resistant to a particular drug can be a somewhat expensive proposition.

In the best case, you lay out some bucks and the treatment is successful. In the worst case, the medicine fails to prevent additional losses and the bacterial pathogens develop antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.

It is in this area that the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) Subcommittee on Veterinary Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing – Aquaculture Working Group (VASTAWG) plays an important role. In June of 2006, this group, of which Dr. Smith is a member, published two testing guidelines that represent the first standardized antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods for aquatic pathogens.

Read the full article as published in Volume 13, Issue 5, 2006 of Fish Farming News.
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