Bovine Coronavirus Prevalence and Risk Factors in Calves on Dairy Farms in Europe.

This study evaluated prevalence and risk factors in health, management, and biosecurity of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) in neonatal and weaned dairy calves on 125 dairy farms in Europe. Nasal and fecal swabs from neonatal calves, weaned calves, and fresh cows were analyzed for BCoV using RT-PCR, and blood and bulk milk samples were collected for BCoV antibody levels using ELISA. Multiple logistic regression models with random effects of herds were used to evaluate the herd health status, husbandry, management, and biosecurity associated with BCoV shedding (nasal and/or fecal PCR positive samples) in neonatal and weaned calves. BCoV was detected in 80% of herds and in 24% of neonatal calves, 23% of weaned calves, and 5% of fresh cows. The biosecurity scored on 109 dairies with Biocheck.Ugent was, on average, 60% (external score 71%, internal score 47%), and there was no clear association between various biosecurity measures on BCoV shedding in calves. Dry cow vaccination against BCoV reduced shedding in neonatal calves, whereas it was linked to increased shedding in weaned calves in these farms. Several husbandry factors, including nutrition (transition milk feeding and milk feeding levels) and management (group housing and weaning age), were associated with BCoV shedding in calves.

The Effect of Colostrum Supplementation during the First 5 Days of Life on Calf Health, Enteric Pathogen Shedding, and Immunological Response.

The objective of this dairy farm study was to investigate the preweaning health, performance, immunity, and enteric pathogen shedding in calves supplemented with colostrum during five days after birth compared to calves not supplemented with colostrum. The colostrum supplementation was the previously frozen colostrum added to the milk replacer from day 2-5 given to 39 calves, and 36 Control calves received a milk-derived supplement. There was no significant difference in preweaning weight gain between the treatment groups. Serum samples collected on days 2, 7, 14, and 21 indicated that total and antigen-specific IgG levels against rotavirus, coronavirus, and E. coli F5 were not significantly different between the treatment groups. Fecal samples taken on days 7, 14, and 21 were all negative for coronavirus and E. coli F5, whereas there were low levels of Cryptosporidia and a trend for low levels of rotavirus on day 14 in colostrum-supplemented compared to Control calves. Respiratory clinical signs, depressed attitude and body temperature tended to be reduced in colostrum-supplemented compared to Control calves. This study shows that, even in calves with good colostrum status and high plane of nutrition, there can be benefits of post-closure colostrum supplementation including reduced Cryptosporidia and rotavirus shedding and reduced respiratory disease.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli and Its Correlation with Antimicrobial Use on Commercial Poultry Farms in Bangladesh.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern, posing risks to human and animal health. This research quantified antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in E. coli isolates from poultry fecal and environmental samples in Bangladesh and explored their association with antimicrobial use (AMU). We screened 725 fecal and 250 environmental samples from 94 conventional broilers and 51 Sonali farms for E. coli presence using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. AMU data were collected at flock levels, expressed as treatment incidence (TI), while minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for 14 antibiotics were determined on five fecal E. coli isolates per farm and on all environmental isolates. MIC results were interpreted using human clinical breakpoints and EUCAST epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs). Acquired resistance against commonly used antimicrobial agents such as ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and ampicillin, was extremely high and predominantly clinically relevant. There was a moderate correlation between fecal and environmental antibiotic resistance index (ARI), but there was no significant correlation between AMU and AMR, suggesting that the observed AMR prevalence is unrelated to current AMU in poultry, but may be due to high historical AMU. A high level of multidrug resistance, including against critically important antimicrobials, was found in both farm types. Therefore, an AMR/AMU surveillance program is urgently needed in the poultry production sector of Bangladesh.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of antimicrobial usage and biosecurity on broiler and Sonali farms in Bangladesh.

Antimicrobial use (AMU) is a major contributing factor to the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in human and animals. To control AMR, indiscriminate antibiotic use needs to be restricted, preventive measures such as biosecurity must be prioritized and proper action plans must be implemented. This study aimed to quantify and associate AMU and biosecurity status of broiler and Sonali farms in Bangladesh. Data on all antimicrobial treatments administered during a batch production cycle and antimicrobials purchased over a year were collected from 94 conventional broiler and 51 Sonali (cross-breed) farms from the northern and southeast regions of Bangladesh. Flock-level AMU was quantified using Treatment Incidence (TI) per 100 days based on the Defined Daily Dose (TIDDDvet) expressing the number of days per 100 animal-days at risk that the flock receives a standard dose of antimicrobials. The biosecurity status (external and internal) of these farms was assessed by means of the Biocheck.UGent scoring system and the correlation between biosecurity and TIDDDvet were assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficients. Median flock TIDDDvet was 60 and 58 for broilers and Sonali flocks, indicating that the birds were treated around 60% and 58% of their lifetime with an antimicrobial dose, respectively. Minimum and maximum values of TIDDDvet ranged from 18 -188 and 31-212 in broilers and Sonali, respectively. Fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, tetracyclines and aminopenicillins were the most frequently used antimicrobial classes. The mean external and internal biosecurity scores were 39% and 61% for broilers and 44% and 61% for Sonali, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the external biosecurity score in broiler farms in the two regions (p ≤ 0.001), whereas, the internal biosecurity score was borderline not statistically significantly different (p = 0.065). The biosecurity score was negatively correlated with AMU in broiler and sonali farms both for external (R2 =-0.38; -0.36) and internal biosecurity (R2 =-0.33; -0.32), respectively. As most of the farmers treated their birds with antimicrobials for a very large part of the production, it could be concluded that there is a high overuse of antimicrobials both in broiler and Sonali poultry production in Bangladesh. This study also highlighted a low level of farm biosecurity practices. Overuse of antimicrobials and low level of biosecurity practice may be due to a lack of knowledge, ignorance, avoid loss and/or lack of monitoring by governmental agencies. Therefore, urgent action is required to increase awareness and biosecurity levels and to reduce AMU in these production systems.

Estimation of the Production Economic Consequences of Stopping Partial Depopulation in Broiler Production.

Partial depopulation is the removal and slaughter of part of a flock prior to the final slaughter age, and this practice allows broiler producers to optimize stocking density in broiler houses. However, this practice constitutes a serious break in farm biosecurity that can lead to the introduction of various pathogens in the flock, including Campylobacter spp. In this study, the production of a house performing partial depopulation of 25% of the flock at 35 days of age prior to the final slaughter at 42 days was compared with a production system where partial depopulation was not performed. The differences in production costs, profit, and technical performance parameters were evaluated. The model indicated that stopping partial depopulation reduces the production between 16 to 24%, which results in a 14% reduced profit per kg of live weight, and a 31% reduced profit per production cycle. To compensate the profit loss, it would be necessary to increase the meat price 3% from a starting price of 87.44 cents. For current conventional broiler production, it may be financially challenging to stop partial depopulation practices. Focusing on external biosecurity to avoid the introduction of Campylobacter into poultry houses may be the right compromise.

Review on bovine respiratory syncytial virus and bovine parainfluenza - usual suspects in bovine respiratory disease - a narrative review.

Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus (BRSV) and Bovine Parainfluenza 3 virus (BPIV3) are closely related viruses involved in and both important pathogens within bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a major cause of morbidity with economic losses in cattle populations around the world. The two viruses share characteristics such as morphology and replication strategy with each other and with their counterparts in humans, HRSV and HPIV3. Therefore, BRSV and BPIV3 infections in cattle are considered useful animal models for HRSV and HPIV3 infections in humans.The interaction between the viruses and the different branches of the host's immune system is rather complex. Neutralizing antibodies seem to be a correlate of protection against severe disease, and cell-mediated immunity is thought to be essential for virus clearance following acute infection. On the other hand, the host's immune response considerably contributes to the tissue damage in the upper respiratory tract.BRSV and BPIV3 also have similar pathobiological and epidemiological features. Therefore, combination vaccines against both viruses are very common and a variety of traditional live attenuated and inactivated BRSV and BPIV3 vaccines are commercially available.

Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of a water soluble formulation of tylvalosin in the control of enzootic pneumonia associated with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida in pigs.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of a water soluble formulation of tylvalosin (Aivlosin® 625 mg/g granules) was evaluated in the treatment and metaphylaxis of Enzootic Pneumonia (EP) in pigs. In all four trials, pigs in the tylvalosin group were administered 10 mg tylvalosin/kg bodyweight in drinking water daily for 5 consecutive days (TVN). In a single-challenge study, pigs were inoculated with lung homogenate containing Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. In a dual challenge study, pigs were sequentially inoculated with pure culture of M. hyopneumoniae and Pasteurella multocida. Efficacy was evaluated based on reduction of lung lesions compared to unmedicated control pigs (CTL). In two field studies at European commercial farms with confirmed outbreaks of EP, treatment efficacy in clinically affected fatteners was evaluated based on improved clinical conditions compared to pigs treated with tylosin at 10 mg/kg by injection for 3 consecutive days (TYL). In these field trials, healthy in contact pigs were enrolled for metaphylaxis efficacy evaluation based on reduction in incidence of new clinical cases of respiratory disease compared to unmedicated pigs (CTL). RESULTS: In the M. hyopneumoniae-only challenge study, pigs in TVN group had lower lung lesion scores than CTL (6.52 vs. 14.97; p <  0.001). In the dual challenge study with M. hyopneumoniae and P. multocida, pigs in TVN group had lower lung lesion scores than CTL (3.32 vs. 8.37; p <  0.01) and the recovery of both challenge bacteria from the lungs was lower in TVN compared with CTL group (p <  0.01). In field outbreaks of EP, multicentre analysis showed that 13 days after the start of medication, treatment success for TVN pigs was significantly better than for TYL pigs (80.0% vs 48.7% p = 0.03) and metaphylactic administration of TVN significantly reduced the incidence of new clinical cases (2.1% vs. 7.8%; p <  0.01) compared with unmedicated controls. CONCLUSIONS: Tylvalosin at 10 mg/kg daily for 5 days in drinking water was safe and effective in the treatment and metaphylaxis of EP in pigs associated with infections of M. hyopneumoniae either alone or in combination with P. multocida under both experimental challenge and field natural infection conditions.

A risk-based scoring system to quantify biosecurity in cattle production.

Farm biosecurity includes all measures preventing pathogens from entering (external) and spreading within a herd (internal) and is important in facilitating the shift from cure to prevention in veterinary medicine. To assess biosecurity on farm level quantitatively an objective measurement process is required. This study describes the development and implementation of risk-based weighted biosecurity evaluation tools for veal, beef and dairy cattle farms. Based on risk factors and biosecurity measures associated with priority cattle diseases and the results of a cross-sectional survey on Belgian farms, questions were selected for the Biocheck-tool. The scoring system consists of three separate questionnaires that contain 69 (veal), 104 (beef) and 124 (dairy) questions. Experts in various fields of veterinary medicine were asked to weigh the different biosecurity categories and questions according to the method of Gore. The system obtained provides biosecurity scores per category (external and internal biosecurity) and subcategory (e.g. purchase, transport, health management). The Biocheck tool was subsequently used in a survey to assess biosecurity in 20 veal, 50 beef and 50 dairy farms. For all production systems, both internal and external biosecurity were considered low, resulting in low mean total biosecurity scores of 39.7 points for veal (SD = 7.4), 44.3 for beef (SD = 8.4), and 48.6 points for dairy farms (SD = 8.1), out of a maximum of 100 points. For all farm types, the scores for internal biosecurity were lower compared to external biosecurity. Veal farms scored significantly lower for "purchase" than beef and dairy, while scoring higher for the other subcategories of external biosecurity. In dairy and beef, "purchase and reproduction" was the highest scoring subcategory. For internal biosecurity, "health management" was particularly low in the three farm types, while subcategories exceeding 50 points were rare. With this tool, implementation of biosecurity on cattle farms can be assessed in a standardized and reproducible manner. This evaluation allows for benchmarking of farms and herd-specific advice for improvements.

Biosecurity practices in Belgian veal calf farming: Level of implementation, attitudes, strengths, weaknesses and constraints.

The shift from cure toward prevention in veterinary medicine involves the implementation of biosecurity. In cattle farming, the application of biosecurity measures has been described to a limited degree, yet no data on biosecurity on veal farms is available. A high degree of commingling of veal calves from multiple farms causes frequent disease outbreaks, and thereby high antimicrobial usage and increased risk of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the current implementation of biosecurity on veal farms in Belgium. To this extent, a list of the most important calf diseases (n = 34) was created, and risk factors and related biosecurity measures for these diseases were determined and included in a questionnaire. Herd visits and face-to-face interviews were conducted on 20 randomly selected veal farms, comprising 8.3% of the target population. A categorical principal component and clustering analysis were performed to determine the influence of the veal companies on the farms' biosecurity level. Awareness of biosecurity was very low among the farmers. All farms used an "all-in, all-out" production system with calves originating from multiple farms without quarantine. On average, farms were filled in 11.4 days (range 2-52). The degree of commingling for these farms was 1.24, meaning that, on average, 124 calves originated from 100 farms. Veterinarians wore farm-specific boots on eight farms (40%) and farm-specific clothes on six farms (30%), while technical advisors wore farm-specific boots on six farms (30%) and farm-specific clothes on four farms (20%). Disinfection footbaths were only used in five farms (25%) despite being present in all farms in the sample. Concerning internal biosecurity, none of the farmers isolated sick animals; only one farmer (5%) had a physically separated hospital pen, and only 11 farmers (55%) both cleaned and disinfected the stables after each production cycle. In most farms, animals were of comparable age. Healthy calves generally remained in the same compartment during the entire production cycle, limiting the risks associated with the movement of animals. No influence of the integrations on the biosecurity level could be determined. It can be concluded that a few biosecurity measures, such as "'all-in, all-out" and compartmentation, are implemented relatively well, while other measures, such as good cleaning and disinfection and proper entrance measures for visitors and personnel can easily be improved. The improvement of measures regarding the introduction of animals of different origins will require more fundamental changes in the veal industry.

Methods and microbial risks associated with composting of animal carcasses in the United States.

Composting is an alternative method of carcass disposal in those situations when conventional methods are inadequate. With proper maintenance and monitoring, carcass composting systems can be safe and efficient with minimal environmental impacts. Importantly, proper composting eliminates many pathogens and may reduce levels of carcass contamination with spore-forming bacteria, prions, and other pathogens.

Antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Dublin from dairy source calves in the central San Joaquin Valley, California (1998-2002).

The present study describes antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Dublin (S. Dublin) in clinical submissions from calves and temporal and farm-type trends in antimicrobial resistance patterns of the isolates. A total of 300 isolates of S. Dublin were obtained from fecal or internal organs of calves fewer than 120 days of age originating from 84 dairies and 18 calf ranches from July 1998 to December 2002. The isolates were susceptibility tested to a panel of 10 antimicrobials using the disk diffusion assay. Temporal and farm-type trends in individual antimicrobial inhibition zone sizes were assessed and antimicrobial resistance patterns were described using cluster analysis. Isolates obtained from calf ranches compared with dairies exhibited decreased susceptibility to florfenicol, gentamicin, neomycin, sulfisoxazole, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and tetracycline. During the years 1998-2002, decreasing susceptibility was seen for ceftiofur, enrofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. There were 20 different antimicrobial resistance patterns in the isolate set, indicating that S. Dublin has the ability to transfer and pick up resistance genes with relative ease. The trends seen in antimicrobial resistance in S. Dublin may likely be linked to antimicrobial drug use in young calves.

The use of bulk tank milk samples to monitor trends in antimicrobial resistance on dairy farms.

The routine monitoring of bacteria obtained from bulk tank milk (BTM) may be an important tool for detecting farm-level trends in antimicrobial resistance on dairy farms. This study describes and compares antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica (Salmonella) and Escherichia coli recovered from dairy BTM. BTM from more than 400 dairies in a dairy-intense region of California were sampled eight times at 2- to 3-month intervals over a 29-month period. From Salmonella positive and Salmonella negative herds any one Salmonella and three E. coli isolates per sample were tested for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials. The prevalence of multiple drug resistant (MDR) E. coli was assessed in relation to Salmonella on the farm, farm size, season, MDR Salmonella, and serovar. At each sampling period, 10-21% and 54-77% of the dairy farms were positive for Salmonella and E. coli, respectively. The most commonly recovered Salmonella serovars were Montevideo (33%), Typhimurium (14%), Dublin (13%), and Give (11%). Two-thirds, respectively, of 478 Salmonella and 1577 E. coli isolates were pan-susceptible. The antimicrobial resistance patterns of MDR Salmonella tended to be serovar dependent and were different from the antimicrobial resistance patterns of MDR E. coli. MDR E. coli were more likely to be recovered from dairies with MDR Salmonella. There were no associations between MDR E. coli and season, Salmonella serovar detected in the BTM, or dairy herd size. Bulk milk E. coli and Salmonella could be valuable to monitor the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance in dairy milk production.

Dissemination of antimicrobial resistant strains of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni among cattle in Washington State and California.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic similarity of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli with similar antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, isolated from cattle on different farms and at different times, in order to evaluate the possible existence of disseminated antimicrobial resistant clones. PFGE after SmaI and KpnI restriction identified 23 and 16 distinct PFGE patterns among 29 C. jejuni and 66 C. coli isolates, respectively. In C. coli, 51 (77%) of the resistant isolates demonstrated one of the four indistinguishable PFGE patterns, whereas only 24% doxycycline resistant C. jejuni shared one of the two indistinguishable PFGE patterns. The genetic mechanisms of resistance were homogeneous within and between these clonal types. Genetically indistinguishable (clonal) groups of C. coli accounted for most Campylobacter sp. with multiple antimicrobial resistance observed in this study, consistent with a role for clonal dissemination in the epidemiology of resistance in this species.

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of respiratory tract pathogens from sheep and goats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of common respiratory tract pathogens from sheep and goats. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 41 respiratory tract isolates from sheep and 36 isolates from goats. PROCEDURES: Disk diffusion assay was used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, ciprofloxacin, florfenicol, and tetracycline. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of florfenicol for these isolates were determined by use of the microbroth dilution technique. RESULTS: The most common isolates were Pasteurella multocida (n = 28) and Mannheimia haemolytica (39). All isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ceftiofur, ciprofloxacin, and florfenicol. Five percent (4/77) of isolates were resistant to tetracycline. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Susceptibility of respiratory tract pathogens isolated from sheep and goats to commonly used antimicrobial drugs in this study was high. Treatment of these species for bacterial respiratory tract disease is likely not complicated by antimicrobial resistance.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella enterica in preweaned calves from dairies and calf ranches.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serovar and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Salmonella enterica isolated from preweaned calves and identify management risk factors associated with fecal shedding of S enterica. SAMPLE POPULATION: Cohorts of 10 to 15 preweaned calves (1 to 84 days of age) on 26 dairies and 7 calf ranches and cross-sectional samples of preweaned calves on smaller farms. PROCEDURES: Calves were evaluated every 2 weeks during a 6-week period. Salmonella isolates obtained from rectal fecal swabs underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 12 antimicrobials. Cluster analysis enabled description of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Calf, cohort, and farm risk factors associated with both the prevalence of S enterica and multiple-antimicrobial-resistant S enterica in preweaned calves were identified with repeated-measure logistic regression models. RESULTS: Salmonella enterica was detected on > 50% of farms and in 7.5% of 3,686 fecal samples. Many isolates (33%) were resistant to multiple antimicrobials. Shedding of Salmonella spp was negatively associated with increasing calf age, herds being closed to incoming cattle, and antimicrobial supplementation of milk replacer; prophylactic antimicrobial treatment in day-old calves increased shedding. No association between farm management and presence of multiple-antimicrobial-resistant S enterica or between calving management and presence of S enterica in calves < or = 1 week old was detected. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In preweaned calves, the most important factors associated with decreased likelihood of fecal shedding of S enterica were the use of antimicrobial-supplemented milk replacer and maintenance of a closed herd. Infection with multiple-antimicrobial-resistant S enterica was not associated with antimicrobial administration.

Field trial evaluating the influence of prophylactic and therapeutic antimicrobial administration on antimicrobial resistance of fecal Escherichia coli in dairy calves.

The objective of this study was to describe the influence of in-feed and therapeutic antimicrobials on resistance in commensal fecal Escherichia coli isolated from preweaned calves. Four groups of 30, day-old calf-ranch calves were enrolled and raised until 4 weeks of age. Groups 1 to 3 were raised without antimicrobials in the feed. Group 1 was isolated from the other groups and received no antimicrobial therapy. Group 2 was housed on the calf ranch and did not receive antimicrobial therapy, whereas groups 3 and 4 could be treated with antimicrobials. Group 4 was fed neomycin and tetracycline HCl in the milk replacer. Fecal samples were collected from calves on days 1, 14, and 28. Three E. coli isolates per sample were evaluated for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials. Cluster analysis was used to group isolates having similar susceptibility patterns. Cumulative logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with increasing levels of multiple antimicrobial resistance. In-feed antimicrobials were associated with higher levels of multiple antimicrobial resistance in fecal E. coli.f In calves not receiving in-feed antimicrobials, older calves had higher levels of resistance compared to day-old calves. Individual antimicrobial therapy increased resistance in these calves but appeared to be transient. There was no environmental influence on resistance in E. coli populations among study groups.

Assessing the effect of a single dose florfenicol treatment in feedlot cattle on the antimicrobial resistance patterns in faecal Escherichia coli.

The objective of this clinical trial was to examine the effect of a single dose of florfenicol on antimicrobial resistance patterns in faecal E. coli of feedlot steers. Steers (n = 370), were purchased from two sources and housed in outdoor concrete floored pens. Two cattle from each pen (n = 42 pens, 84 cattle) were randomly selected for faecal sampling at study day 1, 14, 28, and 42. One sampled animal from each of 21 pens was randomly selected to receive a single 39.6 mg/kg dose of florfenicol subcutaneously at study day 11. Ten lactose positive colonies were isolated from faecal swabs and tested for antimicrobial resistance to 11 antimicrobials using the disk diffusion method. Zones of inhibition were grouped using cluster analysis and clusters were ordered by increasing multiple resistance. A cumulative logistic regression model using generalized estimating equations was used to assess factors associated with increasing levels of multiple resistance. Immediately post-treatment, all isolates obtained from treated cattle belonged to multiple resistant clusters containing chloramphenicol resistance. Though less pronounced in later sampling, resistance to chloramphenicol and other antimicrobials persisted. Antimicrobial treatment, sampling time and animal source, as well as interactions between these variables, were important predictors of the odds of E. coli belonging to a more resistant cluster. A very clear but transitory shift to increasingly multiple resistant faecal E. coli in response to florfenicol treatment was observed. There was no indication of horizontal transfer of resistant E. coli between steers. Level of resistance was influenced by complex interaction of animal source and previous management.

Effect of feeding live yeast products to calves with failure of passive transfer on performance and patterns of antibiotic resistance in fecal Escherichia coli.

Fifty-two newborn Holstein calves with serum IgG concentrations less than 0.73 g.dL(-1) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: no added live yeast (control), 0.5 g of live yeast added to the grain for 84 d (SC; Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 0.5 g of live yeast added to the milk for 42 d (SB; S. cerevisiae, spp. boulardii), and 0.5 g of live yeast added to the grain for 84 d and to the milk for 42 d (SCSB). Calves were offered 440 g of milk replacer DM for the first 42 d and grain for ad libitum intake throughout the study. Plasma was analyzed weekly for concentrations of glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Escherichia coli isolated from fecal samples collected every 2 weeks were used for determination of antibiotic resistance patterns. Calves receiving SC consumed more grain DM, had increased weight gain prior to weaning, and increased plasma glucose concentrations compared to controls. Days with diarrhea were reduced by feeding live yeast to calves. Antibiotic resistance in fecal E. coli was associated with the age of calves with highest levels of resistance observed in the 3 d calves. While calves receiving SCSB had higher levels of antibiotic resistance than controls, this effect was not associated with any of the other treatments. Improvements in performance of calves with failure of passive transfer were observed when live yeast was added only to the grain.

Use of antibiotic susceptibility patterns and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to compare historic and contemporary isolates of multi-drug-resistant Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Newport.

Recently, multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Newport reemerged as a public and animal health problem. The antibiotic resistance of 198 isolates and the pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns (PFGE) of 139 isolates were determined. Serovar Newport isolates collected between 1988 and 2001 were included in the study. One hundred seventy-eight isolates were collected from the San Joaquin valley in California and came from dairy cattle clinical samples, human clinical samples, bulk tank milk samples, fecal samples from preweaned calves, and waterways. Twenty clinical isolates from humans from various regions of the United States were also included in the study. Resistance to 18 antibiotics was determined using a disk diffusion assay. PFGE patterns were determined using a single enzyme (XbaI). The PFGE and antibiogram patterns were described using cluster analysis. Although the antibiotic resistance patterns of historic (1988 to 1995) and contemporary (1999 to 2001) isolates were similar, the contemporary isolates differed from the historic isolates by being resistant to cephalosporins and florfenicol and in their general sensitivity to kanamycin and neomycin. With few exceptions, the contemporary isolates clustered together and were clearly separated from the historic isolates. One PFGE-antibiogram cluster combination was predominant for the recent isolates, which were taken from human samples from all parts of the United States, as well as in the isolates from California, indicating a rapid dissemination of this phenotypic strain. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the reemergence of MDR serovar Newport is not simply an acquisition of further antibiotic resistance genes by the historic isolates but reflects a different genetic lineage.