Assessment of Cleaning and Disinfection Practices on Pig Farms across Ten European Countries.

This study delves into the assessment of cleaning and disinfection (C&D) measures within the context of European pig farming, employing the Biocheck.UGent™ tool as an effective instrument for evaluation. A comprehensive set of relevant parameters was examined to enable meaningful comparisons across farms from 10 European countries during four years (2019-2022). Findings indicate a notable increase in C&D measure implementation in select countries (Belgium, Finland, Italy, and Spain), reflecting heightened awareness and responsibility among farmers. Additionally, the overall score for the C&D subcategory highlights variation across countries, with Italy (75), Poland (74), and Belgium (72) displaying the highest scores, while Ireland (56), Slovenia (55), and Serbia (50) reported the lowest scores. However, the considerable variation in the number of participating farms necessitates cautious comparisons. The study identifies well-implemented C&D measures in the frame of external biosecurity but underscores gaps in the application of C&D measures for the material introduction practices across farms (22% of farms), which are attributed to awareness gaps and resource limitations. In the areas of internal biosecurity, strong points include C&D procedures after each production cycle (79%), implementing different stages in the C&D process (65%) and sufficient sanitary break (82%), while gaps are evident in the presence and using of hand hygiene stations (19% of farms) and boots disinfection equipment (40% of farms) between compartments/units. Notably, the study reveals a lack of evaluation of hygiene after C&D procedures (only 1% of farms), signaling critical knowledge gaps among farmers regarding proper assessment tools and methods. In conclusion, this comprehensive analysis sheds light on the implementation status of C&D measures in European pig farming, offering insights into both areas of progress and those requiring improvement. The findings emphasize the need for targeted awareness campaigns and training initiatives to bolster biosecurity practices within the industry.

One Health surveillance of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales in Belgium and the Netherlands between 2017 and 2019.

BACKGROUND: Colistin serves as the last line of defense against multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections in both human and veterinary medicine. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and spread of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales (ColR-E) using a One Health approach in Belgium and in the Netherlands. METHODS: In a transnational research project, a total of 998 hospitalized patients, 1430 long-term care facility (LTCF) residents, 947 children attending day care centres, 1597 pigs and 1691 broilers were sampled for the presence of ColR-E in 2017 and 2018, followed by a second round twelve months later for hospitalized patients and animals. Colistin treatment incidence in livestock farms was used to determine the association between colistin use and resistance. Selective cultures and colistin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were employed to identify ColR-E. A combination of short-read and long-read sequencing was utilized to investigate the molecular characteristics of 562 colistin-resistant isolates. Core genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) was applied to examine potential transmission events. RESULTS: The presence of ColR-E was observed in all One Health sectors. In Dutch hospitalized patients, ColR-E proportions (11.3 and 11.8% in both measurements) were higher than in Belgian patients (4.4 and 7.9% in both measurements), while the occurrence of ColR-E in Belgian LTCF residents (10.2%) and children in day care centres (17.6%) was higher than in their Dutch counterparts (5.6% and 12.8%, respectively). Colistin use in pig farms was associated with the occurrence of colistin resistance. The percentage of pigs carrying ColR-E was 21.8 and 23.3% in Belgium and 14.6% and 8.9% in the Netherlands during both measurements. The proportion of broilers carrying ColR-E in the Netherlands (5.3 and 1.5%) was higher compared to Belgium (1.5 and 0.7%) in both measurements. mcr-harboring E. coli were detected in 17.4% (31/178) of the screened pigs from 7 Belgian pig farms. Concurrently, four human-related Enterobacter spp. isolates harbored mcr-9.1 and mcr-10 genes. The majority of colistin-resistant isolates (419/473, 88.6% E. coli; 126/166, 75.9% Klebsiella spp.; 50/75, 66.7% Enterobacter spp.) were susceptible to the critically important antibiotics (extended-spectrum cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, carbapenems and aminoglycosides). Chromosomal colistin resistance mutations have been identified in globally prevalent high-risk clonal lineages, including E. coli ST131 (n = 17) and ST1193 (n = 4). Clonally related isolates were detected in different patients, healthy individuals and livestock animals of the same site suggesting local transmission. Clonal clustering of E. coli ST10 and K. pneumoniae ST45 was identified in different sites from both countries suggesting that these clones have the potential to spread colistin resistance through the human population or were acquired by exposure to a common (food) source. In pig farms, the continuous circulation of related isolates was observed over time. Inter-host transmission between humans and livestock animals was not detected. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study contribute to a broader understanding of ColR-E prevalence and the possible pathways of transmission, offering insights valuable to both academic research and public health policy development.

Situation Analysis and Recommendations for the Biosecurity Status of Dairy Farms in Punjab, India: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Farm biosecurity is an important herd management strategy to assure infection prevention and animal health. The present study aimed to evaluate the implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy farms in Punjab, India, using the standardized Biocheck.UGent™ scoring system. Convenience sampling was used to select 94 dairy farms, comprising both cattle and buffaloes, with a mean herd size of 74.8 animals. The study found that the mean external and internal biosecurity scores for the selected dairy farms were 45.4% and 43.7%, respectively. Among the subcategories, the highest external biosecurity score was observed for 'vermin control and other animals' (63%), and the highest internal biosecurity score was observed for 'adult cattle management' (76.6%). Whereas the lowest score for external biosecurity was observed for 'purchase and reproduction' (30.6%), and the lowest score for internal biosecurity was observed for 'health management' (33.6%). The overall mean biosecurity score of the present study was 44.8%, which was lower than the overall mean global score of 52%. The correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between herd size and overall biosecurity scores, indicating that larger farms had, on average, higher biosecurity scores. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy farms in Punjab needs improvement, especially in the subcategories of 'purchase and reproduction' and 'health management'. Further research to identify the factors influencing the implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy farms in the region is recommended.

Antimicrobial Use in On-Farm Hatching Systems vs. Traditional Hatching Systems: A Case Study.

On-farm hatching is a relatively new method in the broiler industry, in which fertilized broiler eggs are transported to the farms at the stage of 17-19 days of incubation. Once hatched, the broiler chicks have direct access to feed and water. Previous studies have shown on-farm hatching to increase animal welfare and intestinal development. However, no studies have yet aimed to quantify and compare the antimicrobial use in on-farm hatched flocks with that of traditionally hatched flocks. In this study, information on antimicrobial use (AMU) was collected from 211 Belgian conventional broiler farms, including data from 2244 traditionally hatched flocks and 227 on-farm (NestBorn) hatched flocks. On-farm hatched flocks had significantly (p < 0.001) more antimicrobial-free flocks (n = 109, 48.01%) compared to traditional flocks (n = 271, 12.08%) and a 44% lower (p < 0.01) treatment incidence (TI) at flock level (TI 8.40 vs. TI 15.13). Overall, the farms using traditional hatching had 5.6 times (95% CI 3.6-8.7) higher odds to use antimicrobials than the farms using on-farm hatching. Treated on-farm hatched flocks received three times less lincomycin-spectinomycin (linco-spectin) and less (routine) treatments at the start of the production round. However, both traditional and on-farm flocks experienced outbreaks later in the production round. These results show that on-farm hatching can contribute to the reduction in antimicrobial use in conventional broiler production.

The Role of Wildlife and Pests in the Transmission of Pathogenic Agents to Domestic Pigs: A Systematic Review.

Wild animals and pests are important reservoirs and vectors of pathogenic agents that can affect domestic pigs. Rapid globalization, anthropogenic factors, and increasing trends toward outdoor pig production facilitate the contact between domestic pigs and wildlife. However, knowledge on the transmission pathways between domestic pigs and the aforementioned target groups is limited. The present systematic review aims to collect and analyze information on the roles of different wild animal species and pests in the spread of pathogens to domesticated pigs. Overall, 1250 peer-reviewed manuscripts published in English between 2010 and 2022 were screened through the PRISMA framework using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. A total of 84 studies reporting possible transmission routes of different pathogenic agents were included. A majority of the studies (80%) focused on the role of wild boars in the transmission of pathogenic agents to pig farms. Studies involving the role of rodents (7%), and deer (6%) were the next most frequent, whereas the role of insects (5%), wild carnivores (5%), wild birds (4%), cats (2%), and badgers (1%) were less available. Only 3.5% of studies presented evidence-based transmission routes from wildlife to domestic pigs. Approximately 65.5% of the included studies described possible risks/risk factors for pathogens' transmission based on quantitative data, whereas 31% of the articles only presented a hypothesis or qualitative analysis of possible transmission routes or risk factors and/or contact rates. Risk factors identified include outdoor farms or extensive systems and farms with a low level of biosecurity as well as wildlife behavior; environmental conditions; human activities and movements; fomites, feed (swill feeding), water, carcasses, and bedding materials. We recommend the strengthening of farm biosecurity frameworks with special attention to wildlife-associated parameters, especially in extensive rearing systems and high-risk zones as it was repeatedly found to be an important measure to prevent pathogen transmission to domestic pigs. In addition, there is a need to focus on effective risk-based wildlife surveillance mechanisms and to raise awareness among farmers about existing wildlife-associated risk factors for disease transmission.

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.

Monitoring biosecurity in poultry production: an overview of databases reporting biosecurity compliance from seven European countries.

Compliance with required on-farm biosecurity practices reduces the risk of contamination and spread of zoonotic and economically important diseases. With repeating avian influenza epidemics in the poultry industry, the need to monitor and improve the overall level of biosecurity is increasing. In practice, biosecurity compliance is assessed by various actors (e.g., academic, private and public institutions), and the results of such assessments may be recorded and gathered in databases which are seldom shared or thoroughly analyzed. This study aimed to provide an inventory of databases related to the assessment of biosecurity in poultry farms in seven major poultry-producing European countries to highlight challenges and opportunities associated with biosecurity data collection, sharing, and use. The institutions in charge of these databases were contacted and interviewed using a structured questionnaire to gather information on the main characteristics of the databases and the context of their implementation. A total of 20 databases were identified, covering the gamut of poultry species and production types. Most databases were linked to veterinary health authorities or academia, and to a lesser extent interbranch organizations. Depending on the institutions in charge, the databases serve various purposes, from providing advice to enforcing regulations. The quality of the biosecurity data collected is believed to be quite reliable, as biosecurity is mostly assessed by trained farm advisors or official veterinarians and during a farm visit. Some of the databases are difficult to analyze and/or do not offer information concerning which biosecurity measures are most or least respected. Moreover, some key biosecurity practices are sometimes absent from certain databases. Although the databases serve a variety of purposes and cover different production types, each with specific biosecurity features, their analysis should help to improve the surveillance of biosecurity in the poultry sector and provide evidence on the benefits of biosecurity.

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.

The impact of antibiotic residues on resistance patterns in leek at harvest.

When crops are cultivated on fields fertilized with animal manure, the risk exists that plants may take up antibiotic residues and may be exposed to antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria. During cultivation in a greenhouse pot experiment, leek (Allium porrum) was fertilized with either pig slurry or mineral fertilizer and exposed to either no antibiotics, doxycycline (10,000 µg/kg manure), sulfadiazine (1000 µg/kg manure), or lincomycin (1000 µg/kg manure). At harvest, 4.5 months later, lincomycin, sulfadiazine or doxycycline were not detected in any of the leek samples nor in their corresponding soil samples. Further, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on 181 Bacillus cereus group isolates and 52 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the grown leek. For the B. cereus group isolates, only a small shift in MIC50 for lincomycin was observed among isolates from the lincomycin and control treatment. For P. aeruginosa, only in the setup with doxycycline treatment a higher MIC50 for doxycycline was observed compared to the control, specifically the isolates selected from growth media supplemented with 8 mg/L doxycycline. Nine antibiotic resistance genes (tet(B), tet(L), tet(M), tet(O), tet(Q), tet(W), erm(B), erm(F) and sul2) were investigated at harvest in the leek and soil samples. In the leek samples, none of the antibiotic resistance genes were detected. In the soil samples fertilized with pig slurry, the genes erm(B), erm(F), tet(M), sul2, tet(W) and tet(O) were detected in significantly higher copy numbers in the lincomycin treatment as compared to the other antibiotic treatments. This could be due to a shift in soil microbiota induced by the addition of lincomycin. The results of this study indicate that consumption of leek carries a low risk of exposure to antibiotic residues or antibiotic resistance to doxycycline, sulfadiazine or lincomycin.

Can Improved Farm Biosecurity Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials in Food Animals? A Scoping Review.

Limited and judicious antimicrobial usage (AMU) is considered the key to saving the success of human and veterinary medicine in treating infections. With the limited alternatives for antimicrobials, farm biosecurity (and herd management) is considered a promising tool to mitigate the non-judicious AMU and to maintain animal health, production, and welfare. The present scoping review aims to analyse the effect of farm biosecurity on AMU in livestock systems and formulate recommendations. Peer-reviewed manuscripts published between 2001-2022 were analyzed using the PRISMA framework using PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct databases. After applying the inclusion criteria, 27 studies were found to assess the effect of farm biosecurity (or management practices) on AMU at the herd/farm level in quantitative/semi-quantitative terms. These studies were carried out in 16 countries, of which 74.1% (20/27) were from 11 European countries. The highest number of studies were from pig farms [51.8% (14/27)], followed by poultry (chicken) farms [25.9% (7/27)], cattle farms [11.1% (3/27)], and a single study from a turkey farm. Two studies include both pig and poultry farms. Most of the studies were cross-sectional [70.4% (19/27)], seven were longitudinal, and one was a case-control study. Complex interactions were observed among factors influencing AMU, such as biosecurity measures, farm characteristics, farmers' attitudes, availability of animal health services, stewardship, etc. A positive association between farm biosecurity and reduction in AMU was observed in 51.8% (14/27) of the studies, and 18.5% (5/27) showed that improvement in farm management practices was associated with a reduction in AMU. Two studies highlighted that coaching and awareness among farmers might lead to a decrease in AMU. A single study on economic assessment concluded biosecurity practices as a cost-effective way to reduce AMU. On the other hand, five studies showed an uncertain or spurious association between farm biosecurity and AMU. We recommend the reinforcement of the concept of farm biosecurity, especially in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Further, there is a need to strengthen the evidence on the association between farm biosecurity and AMU in region- and species-specific farm settings.

Genetic characterization of ESBL-producing and ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli from Belgian broilers and pigs.

Background: The increasing number of infections caused by Escherichia coli resistant to clinically important antibiotics is a global concern for human and animal health. High overall levels of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and ciprofloxacin-resistant (ciproR) Escherichia coli in livestock are reported in Belgium. This cross-sectional study aimed to genotypically characterize and trace ESBL-and ciproR-E. coli of Belgian food-producing animals. Methods: A total of 798 fecal samples were collected in a stratified-random sampling design from Belgian broilers and sows. Consequently, 77 ESBL-E. coli and 84 ciproR-E. coli were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins were determined. Molecular in silico typing, resistance and virulence gene determination, and plasmid identification was performed. Scaffolds harboring ESBL or plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were analyzed to detect mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and plasmid origins. Core genome allelic distances were used to determine genetic relationships among isolates. Results: A variety of E. coli sequence types (ST) (n = 63), resistance genes and virulence profiles was detected. ST10 was the most frequently encountered ST (8.1%, n = 13). The pandemic multidrug-resistant clone ST131 was not detected. Most farms harbored more than one ESBL type, with bla CTX-M-1 (41.6% of ESBL-E. coli) being the most prevalent and bla CTX M-15 (n = 3) being the least prevalent. PMQR genes (15.5%, n = 13) played a limited role in the occurrence of ciproR-E. coli. More importantly, sequential acquisition of mutations in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDR) of gyrA and parC led to increasing MICs for fluoroquinolones. GyrA S83L, D87N and ParC S80I mutations were strongly associated with high-level fluoroquinolone resistance. Genetically related isolates identified within the farms or among different farms highlight transmission of resistant E. coli or the presence of a common reservoir. IncI1-I(alpha) replicon type plasmids carried different ESBL genes (bla CTX-M-1, bla CTX-M-32 and bla TEM-52C). In addition, the detection of plasmid replicons with associated insertion sequence (IS) elements and ESBL/PMQR genes in different farms and among several STs (e.g., IncI1-I(alpha)/IncX3) underline that plasmid transmission could be another important contributor to transmission of resistance in these farms. Conclusion: Our findings reveal a multifaceted narrative of transmission pathways. These findings could be relevant in understanding and battling the problem of antibiotic resistance in farms.

Optimizing internal biosecurity on pig farms by assessing movements of farm staff.

For internal biosecurity, it is important to separate different age groups in a pig farm and to stick to specific working lines when visiting the barns. Currently, there is no research on the movements of farm staff on pig farms. The objectives of this observational study were to assess movements of farm staff on pig farms, to assess risky movements and to investigate whether movements differ according to time (week of the batch farrowing system (BFS) and weekday vs. weekend) and unit (farrowing, gestation/insemination, nursery, and fattening unit). Five commercial sow farms participated and on each farm, an internal movement monitoring system was installed. Detection points were installed throughout the farm and workers had to wear a personal beacon. Movement data were collected from 1 December 2019 until 30 November 2020. The following sequence of movements was considered as safe: (1) dressing room, (2) farrowing, (3) gestation/insemination, (4) nursery, (5) fattening, (6) quarantine, and (7) cadaver storage. Movements in the opposite direction were considered as risk, unless a dressing room was visited in between. The total number of movements differed according to week of the BFS, and was highest in insemination and farrowing week. The percentage of risky movements was influenced by week of the BFS for two farms, and was highest around weaning. The percentage of risky movements varied between farms and ranged from 9 to 38%. There were more movements on a weekday compared to a weekend day. There were more movements towards the farrowing and gestation/insemination unit in insemination and farrowing week compared to other weeks of the BFS, but week of the BFS had no impact on movements towards nursery and fattening unit. This study showed that there were a lot of (risky) movements on pig farms and that these movements varied according to week of the BFS, day of the week, and unit. This study creates awareness, which could be a first step in optimizing working lines. Future research should focus on why certain risky movements occur and how these can be avoided to achieve better biosecurity and higher health status on farms.

Qualitative risk assessment of homogeneity, stability, and residual concentrations of antimicrobials in medicated feed and drinking water in pig rearing.

BACKGROUND: Despite the common use of oral group treatment in pig rearing, the magnitude of the factors influencing the homogeneity and stability of antimicrobial drugs in medicated feed and medicated drinking water are largely unknown, as well as the residual concentrations of the drugs after the end of the treatment. RESULTS: This study presents a qualitative risk assessment to estimate the magnitude of the risks for reduced homogeneity and stability, and increased residual concentrations of antimicrobial drugs in medicated feed and drinking water on the farm. Risk assessment was done using a questionnaire and farm visits (n = 52), combined with a second questionnaire, and concentrations of amoxicillin and doxycycline measured in medicated feed and water samples, each collected on 10 farms. For medicated feed, the duration of storage in the silo did not show to influence the concentration levels in a consistent trend, while the treatment duration had a low to negligible effect. A moderate to high risk was found caused by human error when preparing the medicated feed on the farm. Purchased medicated feed greatly reduces the risk of human error and drugs remain stable during the duration of treatment, while the risk of residual concentrations after the end of the treatment was estimated to be low to moderate. The feed intake variability was identified as a moderate to high risk factor. For medicated drinking water, the type of dosing pump, age of pre-solution, and human errors during the preparation of the pre-solution present a moderate to high risk on homogeneity and stability. Precipitation of the active substance in the absence of a stirrer in a drinking water tank was shown to be a low to moderate risk factor for residues after treatment. Waterline length had a weak correlation with the concentrations of the antimicrobials, while a moderate to high influence was detected for the water intake by the pigs. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable variation in drug concentration in both medicated feed and medicated drinking water was detected depending on their preparation. Therefore, it is important to know which factors influence the homogeneity and stability, and the residual concentrations after treatment.

Epidemiology of Bovine Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) is a poorly understood, sporadic and often fatal disease in cattle. Although, HBS is considered an important disease in dairy cattle, epidemiological data is largely lacking. This study describes the epidemiology of HBS in Belgium and the Netherlands, based on necropsy records from 2009 to 2022, and reports characteristics from 27 cows and 35 dairy operations with HBS, gathered through a survey. The annual incidence of HBS has a significantly increasing trend both at cow and herd level, with incidence above 3.2% in necropsied mature dairy cattle in the most recent years. Estimated herd-level incidence in the Netherlands was double the estimated incidence in Belgium, which might be explained by higher herd size in the Netherlands. Occurrence of HBS was most prevalent in fall, being 40.1% higher than the average of the other seasons. In 35 Flemish (Belgian) surveyed dairy herds with HBS, manifestation of HBS was mostly as solitary cases, and if multiple cases occurred, the time interval was highly variable. In addition, the majority of cows with HBS (61.1%; 16/26) were in more than 100 days lactation. In conclusion, HBS is an important and possibly emerging disease in dairy cattle in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Biosecurity and antimicrobial use in broiler farms across nine European countries: toward identifying farm-specific options for reducing antimicrobial usage.

Broiler chickens are among the main livestock sectors worldwide. With individual treatments being inapplicable, contrary to many other animal species, the need for antimicrobial use (AMU) is relatively high. AMU in animals is known to drive the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). High farm biosecurity is a cornerstone for animal health and welfare, as well as food safety, as it protects animals from the introduction and spread of pathogens and therefore the need for AMU. The goal of this study was to identify the main biosecurity practices associated with AMU in broiler farms and to develop a statistical model that produces customised recommendations as to which biosecurity measures could be implemented on a farm to reduce its AMU, including a cost-effectiveness analysis of the recommended measures. AMU and biosecurity data were obtained cross-sectionally in 2014 from 181 broiler farms across nine European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain). Using mixed-effects random forest analysis (Mix-RF), recursive feature elimination was implemented to determine the biosecurity measures that best predicted AMU at the farm level. Subsequently, an algorithm was developed to generate AMU reduction scenarios based on the implementation of these measures. In the final Mix-RF model, 21 factors were present: 10 about internal biosecurity, 8 about external biosecurity and 3 about farm size and productivity, with the latter showing the largest (Gini) importance. Other AMU predictors, in order of importance, were the number of depopulation steps, compliance with a vaccination protocol for non-officially controlled diseases, and requiring visitors to check in before entering the farm. K-means clustering on the proximity matrix of the final Mix-RF model revealed that several measures interacted with each other, indicating that high AMU levels can arise for various reasons depending on the situation. The algorithm utilised the AMU predictive power of biosecurity measures while accounting also for their interactions, representing a first step toward aiding the decision-making process of veterinarians and farmers who are in need of implementing on-farm biosecurity measures to reduce their AMU.

Antibiotic Use in European Pig Production: Less Is More.

The goal of this study is to describe the current use of antibiotics in the European pig industry based on an extensive literature review. To achieve this, an overview of results from national (n = 15) and multi-country (n = 2) cross-sectional and longitudinal (n = 2) surveys, which describe antimicrobial use in pigs, is presented. Results are further linked to the outcome of the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project. Overall, it was found that weaned piglets received the most antibiotics, followed by suckling piglets resulting in over 80% of the treatments being administered to animals before 10 weeks of age. Furthermore, it was observed that antibiotic use (ABU) was significantly associated across age categories, indicating that farms with a high use in piglets also used more antibiotics in their finishers. This may, among other things, be explained by farmers' habits and behavior. However, above all, the studies showed surprisingly large differences in ABU between the countries. These differences may be related to the differences in disease prevalence and/or differences in the level of biosecurity. However, they may also reflect variations in rules and regulations between countries and/or a difference in attitude towards ABU of farmers and veterinarians that are not necessarily linked to the true animal health situation. Furthermore, it was observed that already a substantial proportion of the European pig production is able to successfully raise pigs without any group treatments, indicating that it is possible to rear pigs without systematic use of antibiotics. Based on the ESVAC data, a decline of 43.2% was observed in sales of antibiotics for animals in Europe between 2011 and 2020. To enable efficient antimicrobial quantification and stewardship, 15 European countries have already established systems for herd level monitoring ABU in pigs.

European-wide antimicrobial resistance monitoring in commensal Escherichia coli isolated from healthy food animals between 2004 and 2018.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the susceptibility of Escherichia coli to medically important antibiotics, collected over four periods (2004-2006, 2008-2009, 2013-2014, 2017-2018), from food-producing animals at slaughter. METHODS: Intestinal contents from cattle, pigs and broilers were randomly sampled (5-6 countries/host; ≥4 abattoirs/country; one sample/animal/farm) for isolation of Escherichia coli; antimicrobial susceptibilities were centrally determined by CLSI agar dilution. Clinical breakpoints (CLSI) and epidemiological cut-off values (EUCAST) were applied for data interpretation. RESULTS: In total, 10 613 E. coli strains were recovered. In broilers, resistance percentages were the lowest (P ≤ 0.01) in the latest time period. A significant decrease in MDR over time was also observed for broilers and a tendency for a decrease for pigs. Resistance to meropenem and tigecycline was absent, and resistance to azithromycin was 0.2%-2.0%. Also, low resistance to third-generation cephalosporins (1.1%-7.4%) was detected in broilers. Resistance to colistin varied between 0.1%-4.8%. E. coli from broilers showed high resistance to ciprofloxacin (7.3%-23.3%), whereas for cattle and pigs this was 0.2%-2.5%. Low/moderate resistance to chloramphenicol (9.3%-21.3%) and gentamicin (0.9%-7.0%) was observed in pigs and broilers. The highest resistance was noted for ampicillin (32.7%-65.3%), tetracycline (41.3%-67.5%), trimethoprim (32.0%-35.7%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (27.5%-49.7%) from pigs and broilers, with marked country differences. MDR peaked in pigs and broilers with 24 and 26 phenotypes, with 21.9%-26.2% and 18.7%-34.1% resistance, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this pan-EU survey antibiotic susceptibility of commensal E. coli varied largely between antibiotics, animal species and countries. Resistance to critically important antibiotics for human medicine was absent or low, except for ciprofloxacin in broilers and ampicillin in pigs and broilers.

Real-World Data on Antibiotic Group Treatment in European Livestock: Drivers, Conditions, and Alternatives.

Major efforts have been made by veterinary professionals to reduce the need for antibiotic use in animals. An online survey launched by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) aimed to gather responses from practicing veterinarians with field experience in metaphylactic livestock group treatment. Only 17% of all veterinarians (n = 183/1087, all species-specific responses merged) applied metaphylactic group treatments to 75% or more of all their treatments. Significantly less metaphylactic group treatments were reported in mixed practices (p = 0.002) and practices specialized in cattle (p < 0.001) as well as small (p = 0.007) and very small practices (p = 0.009). Gram-negative bacteria, mostly composed of Enterobacteriaceae and Pasteurellaceae, were considered by 75.3% (n = 967/1385) as the most devastating bacterial pathogens. Respondents alleged morbidity (20.1%, n = 201/998) and mortality (42.2%, n = 421/998) as major consequences for animal health and welfare if metaphylaxis would be banned. Responding veterinarians pointed towards vaccinations; improved biosecurity, including hygiene measures; and improved herd health management as the three most effective alternative measures to prevent metaphylactic treatment. However, more research is needed on how to implement appropriate alternatives in a holistic hurdle approach. Active support on a national level will be necessary for the development and application of targeted veterinary treatment guidelines for practitioners, which promote the understanding of drivers and include initiation criteria for metaphylactic group treatments in livestock.

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.

Determining the Characteristics of Farms That Raise Pigs without Antibiotics.

Reduced and responsible antimicrobial use leads to a lower risk of developing antimicrobial resistance. Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) is a certification label that is recognized in only a few countries, and it is often unclear what the specific criteria and characteristics of RWA farms are. The objectives of this study were to describe the criteria for a Belgian RWA program; to coach farms towards reduced antimicrobial usage (AMU); to assess if it was possible to obtain and maintain the RWA status; and to determine differences between RWA and conventional pig farms. Pig farms (n = 28) were visited three times for the following reasons: (1) data collection, (2) farm-specific coaching (2 months later), and (3) evaluation (7 months later). AMU was followed from before the start of the study up to one year after the last visit. AMU, biosecurity (Biocheck.UGentTM), and farm characteristics of (non-)RWA farms were compared. RWA was defined as no antibiotics from birth until slaughter. Pigs requiring individual treatment received a special ear tag and were excluded from the program. The status of the farms varied over time, and the distribution of RWA vs. non-RWA was 10-18, 13-15, and 12-16, before intervention, after coaching, and after one year, respectively. For the non-RWA farms, there was a reduction in AMU of 61%, 38%, and 23%, for the suckling piglets, fattening pigs, and sows, respectively, indicating that they were moving toward the RWA status. There were no significant differences in biosecurity status between RWA and non-RWA farms, but biosecurity improved in all farms throughout the study. RWA farms were smaller (median 200 sows) compared to non-RWA farms (median 350 sows). The 4-week system was used more in non-RWA farms, while the 3- and 5-week systems were used most often in RWA farms. This study showed that farmers could achieve and maintain the RWA status through farm-specific coaching related to prudent AMU and improved biosecurity.