Antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results are commonly used in practice to help guide antimicrobial therapy. AST results are reported qualitatively (S/I/R) and quantitatively, more commonly expressed as MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration). This webinar explains MICs, what is a clinical breakpoint, how the numbers are obtained and how to interpret these using examples from IDEXX reports. It also discusses why you might not receive an MIC result for every antimicrobial-organism-site combination, limitations of clinical breakpoints and limitations with interpreting these results. The choice of antimicrobial should not be based on the MIC at face value, but should also consider how that value relates to clinical breakpoint, site of infection, patient factors, etc. Difficult cases may still require a discussion with the microbiology lab and specialists, repeat sample testing and expanded antimicrobial testing. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Urinalysis can be a time-consuming job in-house, requiring a functional microscope, a centrifuge, and staff with both the time and expertise to perform a sediment exam. Ideally urine samples should be analysed with 1-2 hours of voiding to increase confidence in results. Delay in analysis can lead to changes in temperature or pH which can lead to precipitation of crystals, which can subsequently lead to potential misdiagnosis and inappropriate decisions regarding case management. This webinar will help you become more confident in your interpretation of urine sediment examination (including identification of crystals, epithelial cells and casts). This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

This talk summarises occasional situations where histopathology reports on lymphoid pathology can be difficult to understand for practitioners, what to expect from their histopathology reports depending on diagnostic scenarios and how to address any remaining confusion. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Antimicrobial resistant infections are an increasing challenge in both human and veterinary medicine. Various multi-drug resistant organisms have emerged in healthcare settings and are no longer an uncommon finding in small animal practice. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is driven, at least in part, by antimicrobial use (both appropriate and inappropriate). Every time we prescribe an antimicrobial we may be contributing towards development of AMR, so we have the responsibility to do so only when appropriate – by selecting the optimal drug regime, dose, duration of therapy and route of administration and, when possible, ensure this is supported by culture and antimicrobial susceptibility results. Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) aims to improve and facilitate the appropriate use of antimicrobials. It should be a continuous improvement cycle, not an end point exercise. In this short webinar we will point you to different and varied resources that will help you start or further develop an antimicrobial stewardship programme in your practice. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

In this webinar Dr Bill Saxon discusses aspects of preventative healthcare for dogs and cats. He covers the importance of establishing baseline diagnostic profiles, the statistical evidence in favour of preventative healthcare and guidance on specific abnormalities. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

This webinar is a brief overview of the types of dermatology cases that are appropriate for biopsy submission, and the methods for taking skin biopsies for histopathology, with specific reference to alopecia cases. A brief description on how to differentiate inflammatory and non-inflammatory causes of alopecia is given and where biopsy might fit into the work up for these different causes of alopecia. There is guidance on biopsy submission to the laboratory and a summary of information needed by pathologists to make the most of skin samples. This is followed up with a case example where biopsy was the final step of the work-up for a patient. This webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Urolithiasis is an all too common concern in companion animal practice, with identification of urolith type proving key to management recommendations that reduce recurrence in dogs and cats. IDEXX Internal Medicine Consultant, Michelle Evason, says that patients with urolithiasis frequently present with signs of lower urinary tract inflammation (e.g. haematuria, dysuria), due to urolith mucosal irritation and often concurrent infection, with the most common urolith types being struvite and calcium oxalate. Initiation of timely therapy plans based on diagnostics, urolith analysis, culture and susceptibility, and the latest research, aids immediate management and targets ongoing prevention. IDEXX offers cutting edge urolithiasis analysis, with expanded services in 2022 to include urolith culture and susceptibility testing. This case-based webinar is provided by BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

IDEXX Internal Medicine Consulting team has seen an increased call volume relating to cats in the UK with pancytopenia; this surge is currently being investigated by specialist vets at the Royal Veterinary College in London. IDEXX Internal Medicine Consultant Dr Yvonne McGrotty states “Affected cats may present with signs of inappetence, lethargy, pallor, pyrexia and spontaneous mucosal bleeding. The mortality rate associated with this condition is high and an effective treatment is currently unknown. Clinicopathological findings usually include severe leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and anaemia.” The cause of this spike in cases has not been fully elucidated to date, but a potential link to mycotoxins (naturally occurring toxins produced by some types of fungi) in certain foodstuffs is being investigated further, along with other possible toxins. Pancytopenia cases have so far been linked to a single food manufacturer and three brands of food have been recalled as a result. Full details of the recall are available on the Food Standards Agency website, however the FSA have recently stated that they have been unable to establish a causative link between the recalled foods and the pancytopenia outbreak. Sick cats, or cats that are known to have eaten any of the recalled foods, can be screened by performing a complete blood count, including film examination. Vets who believe that they have identified a potential case are being urged to complete a survey on the RVC website to help vets there to identify common factors, which might ultimately assist them in determining the underlying cause. BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX has provided this webinar by Yvonne McGrotty to explain more about anaemia in cats. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

Emi Barker discusses how infectious diseases present in imported dogs, how we can test for these diseases, where screening should be considered, and how to communicate with clients on this sometimes difficult topic. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s Learn@Lunch series. Learn@Lunch broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future Learn@Lunch webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.