Abstract:
Understanding the knowledge and perceptions of veterinary students of antimicrobial
resistance (AMR) as potential future prescribers of antimicrobials may serve as an opportunity
to improve stewardship of AMR. Pre-final (n = 42) and final (n = 29) year veterinary students
of the University of Pretoria completed questionnaires to determine their knowledge and
perceptions of AMR. Of the 71 respondents, mixed practice (48%) and small animal practice
(45%) were the most preferred career choices post-graduation, with the field of gross
pathology being the least preferred. Over 80% of the respondents believed that veterinary
practitioners’ misuse of antimicrobials contributes to AMR and a higher percentage (98.6%)
believed that farmers’ misuse of antimicrobials encourages the development of AMR, in
particular, in food animals (60.6%) compared to companion animals (50.7%). Agreement in
the ranking of abuse of antimicrobials between pre-final and final year students was fair
(36.4%; kappa 0.3), and the most abused antimicrobials in descending order listed by the
students were tetracyclines, penicillins, sulphonamides and aminoglycosides. There was
wide disparity between training and potential field application, as well as variations in the
correct matching of antimicrobials to their respective antibiotic classes. Responses to the
clinical application of antimicrobials also varied widely. Despite the apparent teaching of
AMR to veterinary students, gaps may exist in the translation of theoretical concepts to
clinical applications, hence the need for focused and targeted antimicrobial prescription and
stewardship training to bridge these potential identified gaps.
