The veterinary profession–like human medicine–is placing new emphasis on infectious disease prevention in patient facilities. Bradford P. Smith, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, discussed this topic at the American College of Veterinary Medicine (ACVIM) conference in June on behalf of his co-author colleagues John K. House, BVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM; K. Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM ,and John E. Madigan, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, from the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of California, Davis.

“The goal of biosecurity is to prevent the spread of contagious diseases between patients,” Smith noted. Numerous large animal hospitals, both private and institutional, have experienced nosocomia or hospital-borne disease outbreaks, most commonly in horses. Equids are very susceptible to enteric pathogens such as Salmonella and Clostridium difficile when they don’t consume a normal amount of feed, are receiving antibiotics, have had surgery involving the gastrointestinal tract, or are stressed by high environmental temperatures or concurrent illness.

“Similarities do exist between large animal and human hospitals,” said Smith, “but in reality, it’s very different. Most notably, in large animal hospitals, fecal matter flows freely.”

Cattle in a veterinary hospital often excrete Salmonella in feces, so cattle and horses should be housed separately and movement of people and equipment between them controlled. He said all hospitals should develop an Infectious Disease Control (IDC) program in order to reduce the number of pathogenic organisms to which patients are exposed, maximize patient resistance, and avoid increasing patient susceptibility