Clinical

Free trial of in-house UTI sensitivity test could help tackle AMR

vetreportJune 8, 2021

Diagnostics company Test and Treat are providing a free three-week trial of an in-house sensitivity test to UK vet practices.

With the rise of antimicrobial resistance and a goal of reducing empirical antibiotic prescribing, the U-Treat test enables vets to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs) in both dogs and cats, and vets can obtain antibiotic sensitivity results in less than two hours. 

The U-Treat test was a finalist in the Vet Record Innovation Awards 2021, and is the first in-house veterinary diagnostic test to detect the presence of bacteria and determine antibiotic sensitivity at the point of care. 

In the free trial, which is available to all vet practices in the UK, practices will be supplied with the U-Treat equipment and consumables and training will be provided on how to perform the tests.

Rachel Kirkby MRCVS, Business Development Director at Test and Treat, commented: “We’re proud that our U-Treat test can help vets reduce empirical prescribing, and we’re pleased to help more practices explore this option with a three-week free trial.”

How it works

The U-Treat technology can be used in two stages. Test 1 is a 30-minute assay to detect the presence of bacteriuria, and Test 2 is a sensitivity test to determine susceptibility to common antibiotics. By using these tests, vets can prescribe responsibly with confidence, without waiting for lab results.

Rachel Kirkby explains that the wait for lab results is currently a significant barrier for vets who wish to perform sensitivity testing. “It often takes a couple of days for culture and sensitivity results to come back, and this raises logistical difficulties,” she says. 

“Point-of-care testing can really help here – we conducted a survey earlier this year and found that 97% of vets felt they would be more likely to offer sensitivity testing if they had an in-house test. We know a lot of vets would like to see what it’s like to have that testing capability close at hand, and our free trial should facilitate that.”

After the three-week free trial period, vet practices will be offered the option of starting a 12-month U-Treat subscription including further training and a monthly supply of consumables. This subscription will be offered at a discounted rate for practices completing the trial.

Vets interested to learn more about the free trial can get in touch with Test and Treat’s National Sales Manager Jo Nickerson RVN on Jo.Nickerson@tandtreat.com, and further information is also available at http://www.tandtreat.com.

Read more articles on Test and Treat here.