Ear Infections and Otitis
While there are many causes of canine ear infections, one of the most difficult to treat is an infection caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. QSM's study of over 300 ear swab samples shows that P. aeruginosa is present in nearly 30% of swabs that have rods on cytology. Want to learn more?
Challenges
Difficult to
Detect
Expensive and Time Consuming
Requires
Extra Care
Data
Detecting rods on cytology is difficult, even for well-trained veterinarians and technicians. You may be incorrect over 70% of the time assuming all cytology slides displaying rods are Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Monitoring antibiotic success is critical to patient recovery. 61% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections had at least one type of antibiotic resistance to targeted treatment options.
Chronic Otitis in Veterinary Care
Veterinary professionals have all encountered the frustration of dealing with chronic otitis patients. The difficulty in obtaining culture and sensitivity at the beginning of therapy, the conundrum of interpreting it once obtained, and the difficulty in utilizing culture and sensitivity data to monitor therapy, is a constant struggle. Clients likewise become frustrated and often give up, not allowing the opportunity for the frequent recheck appointments so necessary to get ahead of the infection. Then there are all the underlying causes of chronic otitis such as allergies, confirmation, or endocrine disorders, to deal with.
QSM Diagnostics would like to give you another option when it comes to dealing with chronic otitis cases. The bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa is often the culprit when it comes to the biofilm, the chronicity, the resistance to antimicrobials, and the pathological changes that occur in the ear canal. When doing an ear swab you will often find mixed infections, but the presence of rods often leads us in the direction of pseudomonas treatment. However, what if those rods really are not Pseudomonas? QSM diagnostics has designed an instrument that will assist you in the detection of pseudomonas species. We have found in our studies, as well as in the literature, that rod bacteria found in chronic ear infections when cultured, up to 60% of the time comes back negative for Pseudomonas. In fact, Corynebacterium species are a big bandwagon jumper here and are not pathogenic to the ear. So, what if you could confirm that those rods were pseudomonas, quantify them and also utilize this technology on subsequent rechecks to gauge the success of your therapy? It could be life changing for you, the patient, and the pet owner.
The current recommendations for chronic otitis cases are to do full otoscopic exams, and ear swabs with cytology. Many experts in the field do not even recommend sending out a culture and sensitivity because of all the confounding factors that affect the results, especially when it comes to using the sensitivity data. We also know that we are only successful in running cultures and sensitivities in these cases less than 5% of the time. We can do better.
It is important to get ahead of these infections so that we then can successfully address any underlying causes. It is also important to do this as quickly as possible because we know that our clients lose faith and often do not return for rechecks when they don’t sense any improvement in their pet’s condition. Many people, and unfortunately many pets, suffer with lifelong otitis issues because they become frustrated. With the QSM OTTER and the pseudomonas cartridge you can know that you’re treating Pseudomonas and monitor your response to therapy. We feel that this technology can lead to shortened periods of suffering for your patient and the pet parent. The information obtained from the sequential use of the QSM OTTER with the Pseudomonas cartridge, can help to elevate our ability to treat chronic otitis and alleviate the frustration in treatment.