Changes are Coming to UKVDL MIC Reports!

Changes are Coming to UKVDL MIC Reports!

UKVDL is updating our MIC reports to be more user friendly! These changes are being made to promote usability, advance antimicrobial stewardship and decrease the time spent by veterinarians and clients interpreting our reports. These changes include only reporting out first- and second-line antimicrobials if the bacterial isolate is susceptible to one-or-more of the tested drugs, removing some reporting for drugs in which breakpoints are not available, and changing the overall format of the report. We will also be altering our case comments to clarify common questions in advance and provide greater context for the results provided. As always, we recommend you contact us with any questions you may have regarding your results or samples. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. If the MIC panel includes a drug, why is UKVDL not reporting it out?

Our MIC testing panels are designed to provide information on a wide range of antimicrobial drugs in order to be used with a similarly wide range of bacteria. For many individual bacterial species-animal species combinations we can only reliably predict susceptibility for a subset of the drugs tested in the panel. Additionally, if a bacterial isolate is susceptible to a first-line veterinary drug, it is generally preferable to use that drug over a third-line antibiotic that is important for human health. By focusing our reports on drugs that have reliable predictions for a specific case, we can make the reports easier to read and promote antimicrobial stewardship at the same time. 

2. What if I need to use a drug that is not listed on the report?

We recognize that in a specific clinical case there may be a need to use a drug that we did not report (e.g. an animal with a penicillin allergy). In these cases, please contact UKVDL to discuss the additional needed results in advance or when you receive the report. 

3. What do I do if I have a question about what something means on the new report?

Please contact us and our bacteriologists will be happy to discuss the result and any comments given on the report.