Monitoring Antibiotic Usage in German Dairy and Beef Cattle Farms-A Longitudinal Analysis.

It is well-established that antimicrobial use is a major factor for the development of antimicrobial resistance. To analyze the associations between antimicrobial resistance and usage of antimicrobial agents, data from monitoring and surveillance systems are crucial. Within the project VetCAb (Veterinary Consumption of Antibiotics), antibiotic usage data in German livestock is regularly collected and evaluated.

Association of farm-related factors with characteristics profiles of extended-spectrum β-lactamase- / plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolates from German livestock farms.

Resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, including third-generation cephalosporins, is of major concern for animal and human health. In this study, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) / plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC) β-lactamase -producing Escherichia coli isolates from German livestock farms were characterised and associations of these isolate characteristics with farm-related factors were investigated across different types of livestock. A total of 469 isolates originating from 150 farms (34 broiler farms, 38 fattening pig farms, 43 dairy cattle farms, 35 beef cattle farms) was included in the analyses.

Antibiotic use on German pig farms - A longitudinal analysis for 2011, 2013 and 2014.

To study antibiotic use in livestock in a temporal context with the development of antimicrobial resistance, long-term changes in antibiotic use must be mapped and their possible causes must be explored. Therefore, the present work assesses the changes in antibiotic use over time in German livestock husbandry. In addition, factors associated with antibiotic use were analyzed to identify possible strategies for further reducing antimicrobial usage.

Investigation of potential risk factors for the occurrence of Escherichia coli isolates from German fattening pig farms harbouring the mcr-1 colistin-resistance gene.

Within the scope of a cross-sectional investigation on fattening pig farms conducted in 2011 and 2012, 48 fattening farms in different agricultural regions of Germany were sampled. Primary cultures of boot swabs and collective faecal samples were stored at -80 °C and screened for the presence of the mcr-1 colistin-resistance gene. The laboratory results were linked to farm-related data collected via questionnaire.

Frequent occurrence of nonprimate hepacivirus infections in Thoroughbred breeding horses - A cross-sectional study for the occurrence of infections and potential risk factors.

Recently, several new hepaciviruses have been identified of which the nonprimate hepacivirus (NPHV) - the closest relative to hepatitis C virus (HCV) discovered to date - is highly prevalent in horses. However, potential risk factors for the transmission of NPHV among horses remain still unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of NPHV infections in Thoroughbreds in northern and western Germany and to identify potential risk factors associated with NPHV infections.

Cefotaxime-resistant E. coli in dairy and beef cattle farms-Joint analyses of two cross-sectional investigations in Germany.

Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and other beta-lactam antibiotics is of major concern for animal and human health. Knowledge of the prevalence of resistant bacteria in primary production is an important element to estimate transmission along the stages in the food production chain and the exposure of the human population. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of cefotaxime-resistant commensal E.

Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli Survived in Dust Samples for More than 20 Years.

In a retrospective study, 119 sedimentation dust samples stored between five and 35 years from various barns of intensive livestock farming were evaluated for the occurrence of cultivatable Escherichia coli. Growth of E. coli occurred in 54 samples.

Simultaneous occurrence of MRSA and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae on pig farms and in nasal and stool samples from farmers.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing enterobacteria (ESBL-E) have emerged in livestock. This study prospectively investigates the prevalence of MRSA and ESBL-E on pig farms and in nasal and stool samples from farmers and compares molecular characteristics of these ESBL-E isolates. In 2014, samples were derived at 51 pig farms in Germany.

[Prevalence and severity of lameness in early lactation in dairy cows and the effect on reproductive performance].

Objective: To examine the impact of different degrees of lameness on the fertility of dairy cows.

Material And Methods: Seven dairy herds housed in free stall barns with cubicles were visited at 4-week intervals and all cows were examined for locomotion characteristics using a locomotion scoring system. The cows received scores from 1 (normal gait) to 5 (severely lame).

[Possible causes of unspecific reduced productivity in dairy herds in SchIeswig-Holstein: an explorative case-control study].

Recently unspecific productivity losses were observed in dairy herds in Schleswig Holstein, Germany. This case-control study on cattle health investigated the possible association between a multifactorial event and the occurrence of unspecific productivity losses. 35 dairy farms were defined as cases and 65 farms as controls, when they met two out of three eligibility criteria, respectively (cell count, mortality and life production of cows).

[Lactational incidences of common diseases in dairy herds in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany): effect of first test-day milk yield, herd milk yield and number of lactation].

It was the aim of this study to record common diseases in dairy cows in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and to describe associations between lactation number (LN: 1, 2, > 2), first test-day milk yield (TD1: < 30 kg, ≥ 30 kg) and herd milk yield (HM: ≤ 7500 kg, > 7500 kg), the latter parameter serving as a proxy for herd management (extensive vs. intensive). Data of 98 dairy herds (6439 lactations) were processed on cow level using mixed logistic regression models with LN< TD1, HM and calving season as fixed effects and herd as random effect.

[Statistical methods for description of phenotypic susceptibility data].

This paper summarizes statistical methods to describe susceptibility data. A frequent data basis in resistance studies are minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), measured for different antimicrobial agents. In the statistical context these (semi) quantitative MIC values are ordinal scaled.

Epidemiology of influences on the performance in broiler flocks--a field study in Germany.

To establish which factors influence performance and bird welfare during a fattening period and to identify those factors to be investigated during routine monitoring of farms by veterinary authorities, a questionnaire-based field study was conducted in districts of Lower Saxony, Germany, with the highest density of broiler chickens. Mortality and BW of farms with different stocking densities (≤33, 33.1-39, and >39 kg/m(2)) were investigated.

Ticks on pastures and on two breeds of cattle in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.

Many studies on the population dynamics of questing ticks on pastures and of parasitic ticks on cattle have been conducted. Few, however, have attempted to link the two in a single study. This study aimed to assess the population dynamics of questing ixodid ticks on pastures and of adult ticks on two breeds of cattle with different levels of susceptibility to tick infestation on the same pastures.

Village livestock population and sampling strategies in communal areas in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

There is an urgent need for a livestock census in communal areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This study focuses on the description of the cattle, sheep, and goat populations with emphasis on the livestock distributions and population characteristics in a pilot study in two wards in communal farm land. In one of the wards, sample homogeneity was found in the cattle and goat populations.

Influence of animal, herd and management factors on perinatal mortality in dairy cattle--a survey in Thuringia, Germany.

It was the aim of this study to identify cow/calf, herd and management risk factors on perinatal mortality (PM) in dairy herds from the German federal state of Thuringia. Perinatal mortality was defined as cases of stillborn calves or calves having died within 24 h after birth. From a representative sample of 53 herds (breeds: Holstein Friesian and crossbreedings between Holstein Friesian and Blackpied Dairy Cow), dairy herd improvement (DHI) records were obtained providing information about number of calvings, frequency of PM, parity, calving ease, gender, twin calvings and herd milk yield.