Farm Animal Veterinarians' Knowledge and Attitudes toward Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use in the Republic of Serbia

• Main Authors: Jovana Vidović (Author), Dragica Stojanović (Author), Petra Cagnardi (Author), Nebojša Kladar (Author), Olga Horvat (Author), Ivana Ćirković (Author), Katarina Bijelić (Author), Nenad Stojanac (Author), Zorana Kovačević (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/antibiotics11010064; 2079-6382
• Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; antimicrobial resistance; antimicrobial therapy; veterinarians; mastitis; farm animals; Therapeutics. Pharmacology; RM1-950
• Source: Antibiotics, Vol 11, Iss 1, p 64 (2022)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the most prevalent global health issues in both veterinarian and human medicine. This complex problem requires a "One Health" approach with the cooperation of all healthcare sectors, as well as agriculture, finance, and consumers. We conducted a survey with the objective to assess the knowledge and attitudes of farm animal veterinarians toward AMR and antimicrobial use in the Republic of Serbia with a small focus on mastitis therapy. A total of 110 respondents completed the questionnaire, which represents a response rate of 27.3%. The majority of our respondents (<i>n</i> = 102, 92.7%) completely agreed that AMR currently represents severe concern in the health sector. Unfortunately, less than one-third (<i>n</i> = 34, 30.9%) of the respondents had only heard about antimicrobial stewardship. Participants showed a positive attitude toward prudent antimicrobial use and were open to solutions to the AMR crisis. We noticed a certain gap between farm veterinarians' desire to improve and perform better in daily practice, while at the same time feeling like they did not have enough guidance, help, and resources.