Does lifting female piglets by one hind leg increase the risk of umbilical and hind leg lesions?

Background: Umbilical lesions in pigs have a negative impact on animal welfare and productivity. It has been suggested that lifting young piglets by one hind leg may be a risk factor for developing omphalitis and umbilical hernia. However, the hypothesis that lifting piglets by one hind leg should stretch the umbilical wall and impede the healing of the umbilicus has not yet been investigated.

Resistomes from oxytetracycline-treated pigs are readily transferred to untreated pen mates.

Pork is currently a major part of Danish food export and is also a key dietary source of protein across the world. Industrial pork production, however, comes with high antibiotic usage in many countries, including Denmark. This has created consumer demand for meat Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA).

Clinical and pathological characteristics in 214 Danish weaners euthanized because of umbilical outpouchings.

Background: Umbilical outpouchings (UO) are common in Danish weaners. In slaughter pigs UOs consist of various pathological diagnoses; however, no studies have assessed the pathology in weaners from randomly selected herds, nor the agreement between clinical examination findings and post-mortem results. The primary objective was to estimate the prevalence of UO-related clinical findings in weaners before euthanasia and the pathologic macroscopic findings after euthanasia.

Diagnostic utility of acute phase proteins and their ability to guide antibiotic usage in pigs, horses, and cattle: a mapping review.

To mitigate the use of antibiotics for many of the multifactorial diseases seen in pigs, horses and cattle, new diagnostic tools are needed. Acute phase protein (APP) measurements can, in humans, be used to guide antibiotic treatment initiation, evaluate treatment efficacy, and make a prognosis. The aim of this review is to collect evidence on the clinical functionality of APP measurements as a tool to guide antibiotic treatment in pigs, horses, and cattle.

Prevention of umbilical outpouchings and mortality in pigs: Meloxicam, tying, cutting, and chlorhexidine versus amoxicillin or no treatment? A clinical field trial.

Background: Umbilical outpouchings (UOs) are common in Danish pigs. Neonatal antibiotics are therefore used with the hope of reducing umbilical infections and subsequently UOs. However, the effect of neonatal antibiotics on preventing UO has been the subject of mixed conclusions, and secondly, treating all animals with antibiotics might exacerbate the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Umbilical outpouchings in Danish piglets and weaners: prevalence and clinical characteristics-a cross-sectional study at herd level.

Background: Umbilical outpouchings (UO) in pigs present a welfare concern because of ulceration risk and complications. Danish legislation requires pigs with larger UOs to be housed in sick pens with soft bedding, and some UO pigs might not be suited for transport. Because of this, many UO pigs are euthanized, adding to the costs of pig production.

The effects of antibiotic use on the dynamics of the microbiome and resistome in pigs.

Antibiotics are widely used in pig farming across the world which has led to concerns about the potential impact on human health through the selection of antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria. This worry has resulted in the development of a production scheme known as pigs Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA), in which pigs are produced in commercial farms, but are ear-tagged as RWA until slaughter unless they receive treatment, thus allowing the farmer to sell the pigs either as premium priced RWA or as conventional meat. Development of antibiotic resistance in pig farming has been studied in national surveys of antibiotic usage and resistance, as well as in experimental studies of groups of pigs, but not in individual pigs followed longitudinally in a commercial pig farm.

Umbilical Outpouchings in two Danish herds raising pigs with minimal use of antibiotics - Results from a field trial evaluating the efficacy of autogenous vaccines and iodine application.

In Denmark, a Pure Pork concept for raising pigs without antibiotics was initiated in 2015 by the Danish Crown slaughterhouse cooperative. Pure Pork herds are characterised by minimal use of antibiotics and pigs are mainly treated individually. An increased prevalence of pigs suffering from umbilical outpouchings (UO) is a considerable challenge for Pure Pork producers.

Efficacy of neomycin dosing regimens for treating enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-related post-weaning diarrhoea in a Danish nursery pig herd not using medicinal zinc oxide.

Neomycin is a concentration-dependant aminoglycoside antimicrobial used to treat enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)-related post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in pigs. The objective was to compare the efficacy of neomycin administered in a single high dose (50,000 IU/kg) and a standard dose and frequency (25,000 IU/kg daily for 3 consecutive days) in reducing the number of pigs with clinical PWD. We also aimed to evaluate the development of antimicrobial resistance in E.

Evidence-Based Recommendations for Herd Health Management of Porcine Post-Weaning Diarrhea.

Aided by their advising veterinarians, pig producers need to make difficult decisions regarding herd health management strategies. For instance, the preventive use of antimicrobials and medicinal zinc oxide must be substituted with more sustainable preventive approaches to porcine post-weaning diarrhea. Veterinarians and pig producers may find assistance in knowledge based on evidence in this regard; however, the overwhelming scientific literature is not always readily available.

The role of gilts in transmission dynamics of swine influenza virus and impacts of vaccination strategies and quarantine management.

Background: Along with an expanding global swine production, the commercial housing and management of swine herds, provide an optimal environment for constant circulation of swine influenza virus (swIAV), thereby challenging farmers and veterinarian in determining optimal control measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of gilts in the swIAV transmission dynamics, and to evaluate the impact of different control measures such as quarantine and gilt vaccination.

Methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study in ten Danish sow herds, including five swIAV vaccinated and five unvaccinated herds.

The effect of COVID-19 on schoolteachers' emotional reactions and mental health: longitudinal results from the CLASS study.

Purpose: We investigated schoolteachers' emotional reactions to COVID-19 and mental health during three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. We further analyzed if teachers, who belonged to a COVID-19 risk group, had more emotional reactions and poorer mental health than "non-risk" groups.

Methods: We collected questionnaire data in May, June, and November-December 2020 and used data from 2665 teachers at public schools (871 individuals participated in all three surveys).

COVID-19 Risk Management and Emotional Reactions to COVID-19 Among School Teachers in Denmark: Results From the CLASS Study.

Objectives: We explored teachers' emotional reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the association between COVID-19 risk management and these emotional reactions.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 2665 teachers working at public schools. Participants responded to a questionnaire in May 2020.

Infection Dynamics of Swine Influenza Virus in a Danish Pig Herd Reveals Recurrent Infections with Different Variants of the H1N2 Swine Influenza A Virus Subtype.

Influenza A virus (IAV) in swine, so-called swine influenza A virus (swIAV), causes respiratory illness in pigs around the globe. In Danish pig herds, a H1N2 subtype named H1N2dk is one of the main circulating swIAV. In this cohort study, the infection dynamic of swIAV was evaluated in a Danish pig herd by sampling and PCR testing of pigs from two weeks of age until slaughter at 22 weeks of age.

Substantial Antigenic Drift in the Hemagglutinin Protein of Swine Influenza A Viruses.

The degree of antigenic drift in swine influenza A viruses (swIAV) has historically been regarded as minimal compared to that of human influenza A virus strains. However, as surveillance activities on swIAV have increased, more isolates have been characterized, revealing a high level of genetic and antigenic differences even within the same swIAV lineage. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of genetic drift in one enzootically infected swine herd over one year.

Effect of tetracycline treatment regimens on antibiotic resistance gene selection over time in nursery pigs.

Background: The majority of antimicrobials given during the production of pigs are given to nursery pigs. The influence of antimicrobial use on the levels of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) genes is important to quantify to be able to assess the impact of resistance on the food chain and risk to human and animal health.

Results: This study investigated the response on the levels of nine AMR genes to five different treatment strategies with oxytetracycline, and the dynamics of gene abundance over time by following 1167 pigs from five different farms in Denmark.

Acute Influenza A virus outbreak in an enzootic infected sow herd: Impact on viral dynamics, genetic and antigenic variability and effect of maternally derived antibodies and vaccination.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is a highly contagious pathogen in pigs. Swine IAV (swIAV) infection causes respiratory disease and is thereby a challenge for animal health, animal welfare and the production economy. In Europe, the most widespread strategy for controlling swIAV is implementation of sow vaccination programs, to secure delivery of protective maternally derived antibodies (MDAs) to the newborn piglets.

Limited impact of influenza A virus vaccination of piglets in an enzootic infected sow herd.

Recent studies have questioned the effect of maternal derived antibodies (MDAs) to protect piglets against infection with influenza A virus (IAV). The lack of protection against IAV infections provided by MDAs has encouraged alternative vaccination strategies targeting young piglets in an attempt to stimulate an early antibody response. There is a lack of studies documenting the efficacy of piglet vaccination.

Longitudinal field studies reveal early infection and persistence of influenza A virus in piglets despite the presence of maternally derived antibodies.

A longitudinal study was performed in three Danish farrow to grower (30 kilos) herds over a 4-month period to investigate the dynamics and clinical impacts of influenza A virus (IAV) infections. In each herd, four batches consisting of four sows each with five ear-tagged piglets were included. Nasal swabs and/or blood were sampled from the sows and/or the piglets prior to farrowing and at weeks 1, 3, and 5 and at the end of the nursery period.

Effect of Tetracycline Dose and Treatment Mode on Selection of Resistant Coliform Bacteria in Nursery Pigs.

This study describes the results of a randomized clinical trial investigating the effect of oxytetracycline treatment dose and mode of administration on the selection of antibiotic-resistant coliform bacteria in fecal samples from nursery pigs. Nursery pigs (pigs of 4 to 7 weeks of age) in five pig herds were treated with oxytetracycline for -induced diarrhea. Each group was randomly allocated to one of five treatment groups: oral flock treatment with a (i) high (20 mg/kg of body weight), (ii) medium (10 mg/kg), or (iii) low (5 mg/kg) dose, (iv) oral pen-wise (small-group) treatment (10 mg/kg), and (v) individual intramuscular injection treatment (10 mg/kg).

The efficacy of oxytetracycline treatment at batch, pen and individual level on Lawsonia intracellularis infection in nursery pigs in a randomised clinical trial.

Antimicrobial consumption in animal husbandry is of great scientific and political concern due to the risk of selection of resistant bacteria. Whilst a reduction in the use of antimicrobials is therefore preferable, the efficacy of treatment must be maintained in order to ensure animal welfare and profitability of pig production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three treatment strategies under field conditions against Lawsonia intracellularis (LI)-related diarrhoea.

A randomised clinical trial on the efficacy of oxytetracycline dose through water medication of nursery pigs on diarrhoea, faecal shedding of Lawsonia intracellularis and average daily weight gain.

Oral treatment with antimicrobials is widely used in pig production for the control of gastrointestinal infections. Lawsonia intracellularis (LI) causes enteritis in pigs older than six weeks of age and is commonly treated with antimicrobials. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three oral dosage regimens (5, 10 and 20mg/kg body weight) of oxytetracycline (OTC) in drinking water over a five-day period on diarrhoea, faecal shedding of LI and average daily weight gain (ADG).

Tissue hypoxaemia causes oedema, inflammation and fibrosis in porcine bronchial transsection.

Objectives: Bronchial artery revascularization in lung transplantation is disputed. This study examined the physiological consequences of porcine bronchial transsection and reanastomosis with and without bronchial artery blood supply with relation to lung transplantation.

Design: Translational, controlled animal study.

Bacteraemia with an unknown focus: is the focus de facto absent or merely unreported? A one-year hospital-based cohort study.

An unknown focus of infection is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with bacteraemia. However, the implications for patient management remain uncertain, and to our knowledge, the validity of an unknown focus has not been evaluated. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective record review of bacteraemias with an unknown focus recorded in a regional bacteraemia database.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella and Campylobacter infections among HIV-positive patients in Denmark.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) and Campylobacter are common causes of diarrhoea in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. To investigate if incidence has changed since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), we combined data from The Danish Surveillance Registry for Enteric Pathogens and The Danish National Hospital Registry. We found that the incidences of NTS- and Campylobacter-related illness among HIV-positive patients in Denmark have declined since the introduction of HAART, although the incidences remained higher compared to the background population.