Culture & Senstivity Test Question

Question
A bunny has an upper respiratory infection. Xrays show fluid around the lungs and baytril and most recently an antihistamine is given.  The infection does not get any better and a culture sensitivity test is suggested. The vet insists a culture is not helpful because rabbits have lots of natural bacteria and the vet said they wouldn't know which one was causing the problem by doing that.

I know you may not know all the ins and outs and since I am asking this based on someone else's experience (not my vet), that's all the info I can give.

But with just the information I gave, what is your feeling about sensitivity and culture testing in this situation?

I've read your article which is very helpful with understanding the test, I just don't know anything about the natural bacteria in rabbits compared to what may be found in a test.

Thank you for your time!  

Answer
Dear Jennifer,

It can be very difficult to get a reliable culture and sensitivity result for an upper respiratory infection.  One way to help prevent contamination is to gently swab the external areas around the nares with chlorhexiderm flush, and allow it to dry well before performing a deep nasal swabbing.  

It's true that there are residents of the nares other than what might be the pathogen, but if the test yields "heavy growth" of a bacterium known to be pathogenic in rabbits, this can still be useful information.  I do agree that a deep nasal sample must be taken with extra care, to avoid contamination, and that the results should be read with caution.  But if the vet is experienced with rabbits, s/he might have a good idea of what the normal flora might be, and which species grown could be causing the URI signs.

I hope this helps.

Dana