Association between antimicrobial usage, biosecurity measures as well as farm performance in German farrow-to-finish farms.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundAntimicrobial usage in food producing animals is of major concern. A clear link between the extent of use and the development of antimicrobial resistance has already been demonstrated. To evaluate strategies that may reduce the antimicrobial usage while assuring pig health and welfare, it requires profound knowledge of factors that are associated with antimicrobial usage. Data on biosecurity and herd management practices are important parameters to identify risk factors which are related to a higher antimicrobial usage. To investigate between-farm variations of high and low usage the treatment incidence (TI) per age group in 60 German farrow-to-finish herds was qualitatively and quantitatively analysed and linked to biosecurity measures, and herd management characteristics.ResultsWeaned pigs received most of the treatments (median TI?=?487.6), followed by suckling pigs (median TI?=?138.9). Suckling pigs were treated with critically important antimicrobials (3rd and 4th generation cephalosporines) to a remarkable extent. The number of sows present at site (p?

SUBMITTER: Raasch S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6293545 | biostudies-other | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other