Assigning Defined Daily/Course Doses for Antimicrobials in Turkeys to Enable a Cross-Country Quantification and Comparison of Antimicrobial Use.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens our public health and is mainly driven by antimicrobial usage (AMU). For this reason the World Health Organization calls for detailed monitoring of AMU over all animal sectors involved. Therefore, we aimed to quantify AMU on turkey farms. First, turkey-specific Defined Daily Dose (DDDturkey) was determined. These were compared to the broiler alternative from the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (DDDvet), that mention DDDvet as a proxy for other poultry species. DDDturkey ranged from being 81.5% smaller to 48.5% larger compared to its DDDvet alternative for broilers. Second, antimicrobial treatments were registered on 60 turkey farms divided over France, Germany and Spain between 2014 and 2016 (20 flocks per country). Afterwards, AMU was quantified using treatment incidence (TI) per 100 days. TI expresses the percentage of the rearing period that the turkeys were treated with a standard dose of antimicrobials. Minimum, median and maximum TI at flock level and based on DDDturkey = 0.0, 10.0 and 65.7, respectively. Yet, a huge variation in amounts of antimicrobials used at flock level was observed, both within and between countries. Seven farms (12%) did not use any antimicrobials. Aminopenicillins, polymyxins, and fluoroquinolones were responsible for 72.2% of total AMU. The proportion of treating farms peaked on week five of the production cycle (41.7%), and 79.4% of the total AMU was administered in the first half of production. To conclude, not all DDDvet values for broilers can be applied to turkeys. Additionally, the results of AMU show potential for reducing and improving AMU on turkey farms, especially concerning the usage of critically important antimicrobials.

Cattle farmers' perception of biosecurity measures and the main predictors of behaviour change: The first European-wide pilot study.

The importance of biosecurity as a strategy to prevent and control infectious diseases has increased substantially over the last few decades. Several studies have reported a low implementation level of biosecurity measures (BSM), particularly in cattle farms. In addition, a recent study demonstrated that cattle farmers are well aware of the recommended BSM and recognize them as more effective (in terms of time and costs) than treatment for disease. Therefore, other factors must be considered when it comes to understanding the decision-making process followed by a farmer regarding the adoption of BSM. This study analysed the possible influence of five mental constructs described in the health belief model (HBM) on the adoption of BSM and assessed the possible association of these constructs with different demographic and socio-psychological factors. Through an online survey, 988 questionnaires were completed by cattle farmers originating from Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. The study revealed that the actual implementation of the BSM seems to be significantly influenced by the farmers' perception of the measures' benefits and the perception of health responsibility. Both constructs are influenced by the farmers' personality in terms of risk aversion and biosecurity knowledge. It was also found that organic farmers had a significantly lower perception of the BSM benefits and of their responsibility towards animal, public and environmental health when compared with other types of farmer. Organic farmers in this study seemed less likely to implement biosecurity measures. To increase the adoption of BSM by cattle farmers, it is therefore important to emphasise the actual evidence-based benefits of the measures and to investigate further how to strengthen cattle farmers' sense of responsibility towards animal, public and environmental health.

Risk factors for poor health and performance in European broiler production systems.

BACKGROUND: Conventional broilers are currently one of the most efficient protein converters. Although decades of progress in genetic selection and feed formulation have lead to high standards of efficient broiler production, still a lot of variability is found between farms and between successive flocks. The aim of this study was to investigate risk- and/or protective factors for poor health and performance in conventional broiler-farms in Europe by developing eight multivariable linear mixed models. Three different models were used to investigate mortality (overall, first week, after first week), three models for performance variables (growth, feed conversion, European production index) and two models were related to slaughterhouse data (i.e. dead on arrival and condemnation rate). RESULTS: Several factors related to management and housing were significantly associated with health and performance of broilers. The following factors were associated with increased mortality: floor quality, neonatal septicemia, ventilation type and other professional activities of the farmer. The factors associated with performance were chick sex, coccidiosis infections, necrotic enteritis, dysbacteriosis, light intensity adaptations, ventilation type, comparing daily flock results with previous flock results by farmer, daily check of feed and water system and type of feed. For dead on arrival three risk factors were identified i.e. daily growth, type of light adaptation and type of drinkers system. For condemnation rate seven risk factors were found, i.e. type of drinking system, daily growth, feed withdrawal time, type of ventilation, house size, septicemia after seven days and type of feed. CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that a multifactorial approach is required with adaptations involving both improvements in management, housing, health programs and an increasing level of professionalism of the farmer in order to improve broiler performance and health.

Dogs and Their Owners Have Frequent and Intensive Contact.

Contact and interactions between owners and their pets may have beneficial physical and social effects on people, but may also facilitate the transmission of zoonotic agents and resistant bacteria. To estimate the risk of these contacts, more information regarding the frequency and intensity of this physical contact is required. Therefore, an online survey was conducted among pet owners resulting in 701 completed questionnaires. Questions regarding the interactions between dogs and owners were linked with a score from 1 (limited interactions) to 3 (highly intense interactions). After scoring these self-reported interactions, a contact intensity score was calculated for each respondent by summing up the different allocated scores from all questions. This contact intensity score was used to identify predictors of more intense contact based on a multivariable linear regression model. Interactions between dogs and their owners were widespread (e.g., 85.3% of the dogs licked their owner's hand) and intense (e.g., 49.3% of owners reported being licked in the face). The gender, age, and place of residence (city, village, or countryside) of the respondent, together with the size and age of the dog, were significantly associated with the contact intensity score in the multivariable model. On average, female respondents younger than 65 years who lived in the city and had a small young dog had the most intense contact with it. Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of these interactions in light of zoonotic and antimicrobial resistance transfer.

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.

Addressing Learning Needs on the Use of Metagenomics in Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance.

One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) depends on a harmonized method for detection of AMR. Metagenomics-based surveillance offers the possibility to compare resistomes within and between different target populations. Its potential to be embedded into policy in the future calls for a timely and integrated knowledge dissemination strategy. We developed a blended training (e-learning and a workshop) on the use of metagenomics in surveillance of pathogens and AMR. The objectives were to highlight the potential of metagenomics in the context of integrated surveillance, to demonstrate its applicability through hands-on training and to raise awareness to bias factors. The target participants included staff of competent authorities responsible for AMR monitoring and academic staff. The training was organized in modules covering the workflow, requirements, benefits and challenges of surveillance by metagenomics. The training had 41 participants. The face-to-face workshop was essential to understand the expectations of the participants about the transition to metagenomics-based surveillance. After revision of the e-learning, we released it as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), now available at https://www.coursera.org/learn/metagenomics. This course has run in more than 20 sessions, with more than 3,000 learners enrolled, from more than 120 countries. Blended learning and MOOCs are useful tools to deliver knowledge globally and across disciplines. The released MOOC can be a reference knowledge source for international players in the application of metagenomics in surveillance.

Antimicrobial resistance prevalence in commensal Escherichia coli from broilers, fattening turkeys, fattening pigs and veal calves in European countries and association with antimicrobial usage at country level.

The aim of this article is to report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in commensal Escherichia coli from livestock from several European countries. The relationships with antimicrobial usage (AMU) at country level and harmonized indicators to cover the most relevant AMR aspects for human health in animal production were also investigated. E. coli were isolated in faeces from broilers and fattening pigs (from nine countries), and fattening turkeys and veal calves (from three countries) and screened against a fixed antimicrobial panel. AMU data were collected at farm and average treatment incidences stratified by antimicrobial class, country and livestock species were calculated. Associations between AMR and AMU at country level were analysed. Independent of animal species, the highest resistance was observed for ampicillin, sulphamethoxazole, tetracycline and trimethoprim. E. coli from broilers showed the highest resistance level for (fluoro)quinolones, and multidrug resistance peaked in broilers and fattening turkeys. Colistin resistance was observed at very low levels with the exception of fattening turkeys. High resistance to third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins was detected in broilers and fattening turkeys. The lowest levels of resistance were for meropenem, azithromycin and tigecycline (<1 %). Significant correlations between resistance and usage at country level were detected in broilers for polymyxins and aminoglycosides, and in fattening pigs for cephalosporins, amphenicols, fluoroquinolones and polymyxins. None of the correlations observed between AMR and AMU were statistically significant for fattening turkey and veal calves. The strength of the analysis performed here is the correlation of aggregated data from the same farms at country level for both AMU and AMR within antimicrobial classes.

Antimicrobial Usage and Resistance in Companion Animals: A Cross-Sectional Study in Three European Countries.

Companion animals have been described as potential reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), however data remain scarce. Therefore, the objectives were to describe antimicrobial usage (AMU) in dogs and cats in three European countries (Belgium, Italy, and The Netherlands) and to investigate phenotypic AMR. A questionnaire and one fecal sample per animal (n = 303) were collected over one year and AMU was quantified using treatment incidence (TI). Phenotypic resistance profiles of 282 Escherichia coli isolates were determined. Nineteen percent of the animals received at least one antimicrobial treatment six months preceding sampling. On average, cats and dogs were treated with a standard daily dose of antimicrobials for 1.8 and 3.3 days over one year, respectively. The most frequently used antimicrobial was amoxicillin-clavulanate (27%). Broad-spectrum antimicrobials and critically important antimicrobials for human medicine represented 83% and 71% of the total number of treatments, respectively. Resistance of E. coli to at least one antimicrobial agent was found in 27% of the isolates. The most common resistance was to ampicillin (18%). Thirteen percent was identified as multidrug resistant isolates. No association between AMU and AMR was found in the investigated samples. The issue to address, regarding AMU in companion animal, lies within the quality of use, not the quantity. Especially from a One-Health perspective, companion animals might be a source of transmission of resistance genes and/or resistant bacteria to humans.

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.

Prevalence and chemical composition of uroliths in fattening pigs in Belgium.

The present study investigated the prevalence of uroliths in fattening pigs and assessed the composition of these urinary tract concrements. In total, 2,432 urinary bladders were sampled in the slaughterhouse and checked for abnormal content. Urinary samples were analysed microscopically, and samples of the urinary bladder wall were tested for histological signs of inflammation. The composition of the concrements was examined by infrared spectrophotometry. Macroscopic and microscopic abnormalities were detected in 8.4% and 52.8% of the samples respectively. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite), calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD), calcium carbonate (calcite), calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and amorphous crystals were detected. Analysis of stones showed COD in all samples in different proportions. The calcium content of examined stones was always considerable (up to 34%), in contrast to the magnesium content which represented max 1.9%. Struvite was found in one third of the samples, but was never part of stones and grit. COD crystals were the second most common microscopic crystal. These COD crystals and some COD stones had a rectangular shape, and therefore, they can be harmful to the bladder mucosa. In conclusion, uroliths are present in a large proportion of male fattening pigs, and consequently, urinary concrements pose a life-threatening risk for urethra obstruction in male pigs. Further research is warranted to identify potential risk factors for urolithiasis and microscopic crystals.

Associations between antimicrobial use and the faecal resistome on broiler farms from nine European countries.

OBJECTIVES: To determine associations between farm- and flock-level antimicrobial usage (AMU), farm biosecurity status and the abundance of faecal antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) on broiler farms. METHODS: In the cross-sectional pan-European EFFORT study, conventional broiler farms were visited and faeces, AMU information and biosecurity records were collected. The resistomes of pooled faecal samples were determined by metagenomic analysis for 176 farms. A meta-analysis approach was used to relate total and class-specific ARGs (expressed as fragments per kb reference per million bacterial fragments, FPKM) to AMU (treatment incidence per DDD, TIDDDvet) per country and subsequently across all countries. In a similar way, the association between biosecurity status (Biocheck.UGent) and the resistome was explored. RESULTS: Sixty-six (38%) flocks did not report group treatments but showed a similar resistome composition and roughly similar ARG levels to antimicrobial-treated flocks. Nevertheless, we found significant positive associations between ß-lactam, tetracycline, macrolide and lincosamide, trimethoprim and aminoglycoside antimicrobial flock treatments and ARG clusters conferring resistance to the same class. Similar associations were found with purchased products. In gene-level analysis for ß-lactams and macrolides, lincosamides and streptogramins, a significant positive association was found with the most abundant gene clusters blaTEM and erm(B). Little evidence was found for associations with biosecurity. CONCLUSIONS: The faecal microbiome in European broilers contains a high diversity of ARGs, even in the absence of current antimicrobial selection pressure. Despite this, the relative abundance of genes and the composition of the resistome is positively related to AMU in European broiler farms for several antimicrobial classes.

The antimicrobial resistome in relation to antimicrobial use and biosecurity in pig farming, a metagenome-wide association study in nine European countries.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies in food-producing animals have shown associations between antimicrobial use (AMU) and resistance (AMR) in specifically isolated bacterial species. Multi-country data are scarce and only describe between-country differences. Here we investigate associations between the pig faecal mobile resistome and characteristics at the farm-level across Europe. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 176 conventional pig farms from nine European countries. Twenty-five faecal samples from fattening pigs were pooled per farm and acquired resistomes were determined using shotgun metagenomics and the Resfinder reference database, i.e. the full collection of horizontally acquired AMR genes (ARGs). Normalized fragments resistance genes per kilobase reference per million bacterial fragments (FPKM) were calculated. Specific farm-level data (AMU, biosecurity) were collected. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed by country, relating farm-level data to relative ARG abundances (FPKM). RESULTS: Total AMU during fattening was positively associated with total ARG (total FPKM). Positive associations were particularly observed between widely used macrolides and tetracyclines, and ARGs corresponding to the respective antimicrobial classes. Significant AMU-ARG associations were not found for ß-lactams and only few colistin ARGs were found, despite high use of these antimicrobial classes in younger pigs. Increased internal biosecurity was directly related to higher abundances of ARGs mainly encoding macrolide resistance. These effects of biosecurity were independent of AMU in mutually adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: Using resistome data in association studies is unprecedented and adds accuracy and new insights to previously observed AMU-AMR associations. Major components of the pig resistome are positively and independently associated with on-farm AMU and biosecurity conditions.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of antimicrobial usage at farm and flock level on 181 broiler farms in nine European countries.

OBJECTIVES: To control the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance, international policy appeals for appropriate monitoring of antimicrobial usage (AMU) at supranational, species and farm level. The aim of this study was to quantify AMU in broilers at farm and flock level in nine European countries. METHODS: Antimicrobial treatment data of one flock and purchased antimicrobials over one year were collected at 181 European broiler farms. Afterwards AMU was quantified using treatment incidence (TI) per 100 days based on Defined Daily Dose (DDDvet), Defined Course Dose (DCDvet) or Used Daily Dose (UDDvet) values. Total AMU at flock level was obtained by summing the TIDDDvet of all treatments in the sampled flock (TIDDDvetFl*). RESULTS: The median TIDDDvetFl* was 9.0 (95% CI 5.5-10.8), meaning that broilers were treated with antimicrobials during 9% of their rearing period. TIDDDvetFl* varied considerably within and between countries. However, in every country at least one untreated flock was present. Average TIDDDvetFl* at country level ranged from 3.3 to 36.7. Polymyxins, extended-spectrum aminopenicillins and fluoroquinolones were the most used antimicrobials, accounting for 26%, 26% and 18% of total AMU, respectively. Twenty-six percent of the farms started a treatment on day 1 of production, and 49% of overall AMU was administered within the first week. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that rearing broilers without AMU is feasible. However, a huge variation in AMU in terms of amount, moment of administration and antimicrobial classes was observed. This shows that there is still ground to be covered when it comes to AMU on broiler farms.

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of antimicrobial usage patterns in 180 selected farrow-to-finish pig farms from nine European countries based on single batch and purchase data.

OBJECTIVES: Farm-level quantification of antimicrobial usage (AMU) in pig farms. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, AMU data on group treatments administered to a single batch of fattening pigs from birth to slaughter (group treatment data) and antimicrobials purchased during 1 year (purchase data) were collected at 180 pig farms in nine European countries. AMU was quantified using treatment incidence (TI) based on defined (DDDvet) and used (UDDvet) daily doses and defined (DCDvet) and used (UCDvet) course doses. RESULTS: The majority of antimicrobial group treatments were administered to weaners (69.5% of total TIDDDvet) followed by sucklers (22.5% of total TIDDDvet). AMU varied considerably between farms with a median TIDDDvet of 9.2 and 7.1 for a standardized rearing period of 200 days based on group treatment and purchase data, respectively. In general, UDDvet and UCDvet were higher than DDDvet and DCDvet, respectively, suggesting that either the defined doses were set too low or that group treatments were often dosed too high and/or administered for too long. Extended-spectrum penicillins (31.2%) and polymyxins (24.7%) were the active substances most often used in group treatments, with the majority administered through feed or water (82%). Higher AMU at a young age was associated with higher use in older pigs. CONCLUSIONS: Collecting farm-level AMU data of good quality is challenging and results differ based on how data are collected (group treatment data versus purchase data) and reported (defined versus used daily and course doses).

Blocking connexin channels during vitrification of immature cat oocytes improves maturation capacity after warming.

In the domestic cat, nuclear maturation and embryo development after vitrification of immature oocytes have been obtained but developmental competence after warming remains low. It has been reported that during folliculogenesis, the association and communication between the oocyte and the surrounding cumulus cells through connexin-based gap junctions is essential for normal oocyte and follicular development. Gap junctions result from the head-to-head interaction of two hemichannels; however, there is always a population of hemichannels not incorporated into gap junctions. These unopposed hemichannels are normally closed but may open under certain stress conditions, potentially also during vitrification and warming, turning them into toxic pores inducing cell injury and cell death. The aim of our study was to test whether inhibiting connexin 37 (Cx37) and connexin 43 (Cx43) channels with the connexin-targeting peptide Gap26 during vitrification and warming of cat immature cumulus-oocyte-complexes (COCs) could improve oocyte maturation and competence of resultant blastocysts derived by parthenogenetic activation. In the first experiment, our immunostainings confirmed the presence of Cx43 protein in the cytoplasm of immature cat oocytes and in the plasma membranes of cumulus cells. In the second experiment, COCs were randomly divided in three different groups: a control group (control), a group vitrified without Gap26 (vitrified) and a group vitrified with Gap26 (vitrified-peptide). The maturation rate was checked and oocytes from all three different experimental groups were parthenogenetically activated and cultured in vitro until day 8. After vitrification and warming, 49% of the oocytes in the control group matured, while this was 8% and 19% in the vitrified and vitrified-peptide groups, respectively. Compared to the vitrified group, oocytes in the vitrified-peptide group had significantly larger maturation rates. No blastocysts were detected at day 8 in the vitrified group, while 2% and 13% of the oocytes further developed to blastocyst at day 8 in the vitrified-peptide and control non-vitrified group, respectively. We conclude that the use of Gap26 in vitrification and warming media to vitrify immature cat oocytes improves maturation success and allows such oocytes to reach the blastocyst stage (2%) at day 8 after parthenogenetic activation.

Associations between a decreased veterinary antimicrobial use and resistance in commensal Escherichia coli from Belgian livestock species (2011-2015).

In this study the possible association between antibiotic use and resistance was explored, focusing on commensal Escherichia coli from livestock (veal calves, young beef cattle, pigs and broiler chickens) in Belgium between 2011 and 2015. A continuous decreasing trend in antibiotic use was observed for all classes, except for the phenicols. Antibiotic resistance of commensal E. coli significantly decreased for several of the tested antibiotics in all livestock species. A more rapidly reverted resistance was seen to 3th/4th generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. Moderate to strong correlations between antibiotic use and resistance were found, except for antibiotic resistance to chloramphenicol and gentamicin and the use of the corresponding antibiotic class. Yet, total antibiotic use was positively correlated with chloramphenicol resistance, showing the potential importance of co-selection for chloramphenicol resistance. These results suggest that national antimicrobial usage reduction campaigns have beneficial effects on the overall resistance levels. Analyses were performed on small datasets, though, and care must be taken while making inference. For more detailed analysis, antibiotic use data at an animal species level are required.

Biosecurity and management practices in different dog breeding systems have considerable margin for improvements.

To investigate the current management and biosecurity practices and identify possible differences between different types of breeders, a cross-sectional study was carried out in 102 Belgian dog breeding facilities ranging from small (less than 10 dams on site) to large-scale (more than 50 dams on site or at least 500 puppies sold yearly) breeders. Veterinary prophylactic protocols (ie, vaccination, endoparasite control, ectoparasitic treatments) were highly implemented (91.5 per cent, 92.6 per cent, 42.7 per cent, respectively) across all breeder categories. 13.8 per cent of all visited breeders reported to administer antimicrobials to each female post partum and 10.3 per cent reported to treat all puppies, or at least of one breed, systematically with antimicrobials. Large-scale breeders reported to employ staff more frequently (p<0.01), and appeared to be more familiar with the principles of biosecurity. They reported to apply disinfection (p<0.01) and hygienic measures (p=0.03) across all parts of the facility, and to quarantine newly acquired dogs (p<0.01) more often compared with small-scale breeders. Nonetheless, a moderate knowledge of and use of disinfection was recorded, as was the presence of pet dogs, breaking the compartmentalisation. Results of this study indicate that there is substantial room for improvement in hygiene and disease management across all categories of breeders. The characterisation of different types of dog breeders with respect to biosecurity and management practices is a first step towards improvement of dog husbandry and biosecurity measures. Tailored guidelines should permit breeders to further improve the health of breeding animals and puppies while reducing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks and associated expenses.

Classification of adult cattle infectious diseases: A first step towards prioritization of biosecurity measures.

An emphasis on biosecurity in the cattle industry was made over the years to improve animal and public health. Nevertheless, the level of implementation of biosecurity measures (BSM) remains largely insufficient due to certain constraints. It is therefore necessary to prioritize the different BSM to be applied in accordance with the individual context and the main infectious diseases affecting cattle. Previous prioritization exercises of infectious diseases were neither specific to Belgium nor based on an exhaustive list of diseases. This study aimed at classifying the most important infectious diseases affecting cattle in Belgium. A list of 74 cattle infectious diseases reported in Europe was compiled based on a literature review. Through an online survey, Belgian rural veterinary practitioners (RVP) were asked to assign a score to each disease according to their frequency (question 1), their trends estimated between 2013-15 (question 2), and finally to list the five most important diseases for adult cattle (question 3). Respectively, 107 and 93 RVP answered the first two questions and the last one. Results of the survey were used to classify the diseases based on their frequency, trends, and importance through an additional weighting system and a subsequent regression tree analysis. Belgian laboratory databases and previous disease prioritization exercises were also analysed and taken into account as additional data sources. For the most important diseases identified (those ranked as important by the three data sources), a literature review was performed in PubMed to identify their related risk factors and BSM. A total of 48 infectious diseases were classified as important in Belgium with six of them considered as important from the three data sources: bovine respiratory diseases (BRD), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), Q fever, and salmonellosis. Their related BSM should be prioritized in terms of BSM implementation.

Antimicrobial prescribing behaviour in dogs and cats by Belgian veterinarians.

The objective of this study is to survey general prescribing behaviour by Belgian companion animal veterinarians and to assess agreement of these practices with current treatment guidelines. Therefore an online survey was administered with five realistic and frequently occurring first-line cases to primary-care veterinary practitioners. For each case a predefined pattern of questions were asked about whether or not they would prescribe antimicrobials, if they would prescribe a non-antimicrobial treatment and if they would perform additional diagnostic steps. The responses were compared with recommendations in national guidelines and recent literature. The overall most prescribed antimicrobials were potentiated amoxicillin (43.0 per cent), fluoroquinolones (14.7 per cent), third-generation and fourth-generation cephalosporins (10.9 per cent) and tetracyclines (10.9 per cent). Only 48.3 per cent of the veterinarians complied with the guidelines in nearly all of the clinical scenarios (ie, prescribing antimicrobials when indicated, not prescribing antimicrobials when it is not indicated). Moreover, when prescribing highest priority critically important antimicrobials, susceptibility testing on bacterial cultures was performed in only 12.4 per cent of the prescriptions. The results showed that the prescribing behaviour of antimicrobial compounds by primary-care veterinary practitioners in dogs and cats is often not in agreement with national guidelines. Focus in improvement of this prescribing behaviour should be on performing the appropriate diagnostic steps and decreasing the use of highest priority critically important antimicrobials.

Effect of a GnRH analogue (peforelin) on the litter performance of gilts and sows.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining optimal reproductive and litter performance is essential for meeting economic targets in commercial pig production. Treatment with exogenous gonadotropins in sows after weaning or in gilts after altrenogest treatment has been used to stimulate follicular development leading to more piglets born and eventually higher birth weights. The effect of peforelin on litter performance was investigated in 212 gilts, primi- and pluriparous sows in three herds. Animals were randomly allocated to three treatments 24 h after weaning: peforelin (P group), eCG (E group), and physiological saline solution (C group). Numbers of total, liveborn and stillborn piglets and mortality rate during lactation were recorded. Birth weights and coefficient of variation in weights within litter were assessed. All parameters were compared among treatments. RESULTS: Over all parities, no difference was found among treatments in litter size nor mortality rate, but birth weights were significantly lower in the E group. Stillbirth numbers in pluriparous sows were 2.2, 0.9 and 1.4 for P, E and C groups, respectively (p = 0.04). Piglets in the P group had significantly higher live born birth weights in gilts, compared to the E group (1.36, 1.26, 1.32 kg (p < 0.02) for P, E and C group, respectively). No significant differences were found for the other investigated parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Peforelin treatment showed no improvement of litter performance compared to no treatment.