Choosing Nutrition as a First-line Defense: Understanding Antimicrobial Resistance

Presentation Description / Summary: "But Metronidazole works so well..." This commonly spoken statement is why many treatment plans currently utilize antimicrobials to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms as a first-line action. We are now facing a worldwide threat of antimicrobial resistance. Veterinary teams need to understand both the human and microbiota roles in the development of microbial resistance to antibiotics. Additionally, alternative first-line response therapies need to be considered and adopted. Nutrition is a viable and effective option for veterinary teams to adopt as a first-line and conjunctive therapy. This session will review how microbes develop resistance to antimicrobials and how nutrition and other therapies should be considered as protocols in both acute and chronic health conditions related to gastrointestinal dysbiosis.

Learner Outcomes: Be able to describe antimicrobial resistance and its current state. The learner will understand how bacteria evolve to develop resistance and identify the outcomes of at least 3 current studies on commonly utilized antimicrobial treatments on the gut microbiome. Be able to explain 2 changes in microbial shift post-antibiotic treatment. Be able to list at least 2 diet types for GI cases and how to appropriately initiate feeding in these cases.