The opinions of farm animal veterinarians in Ireland on antibiotic use and their role in antimicrobial stewardship.

Background: Antibiotic use and resistance in animal production are a concern to public health, and there is an urgent need to reduce antibiotic use in farm animals. To prevent blame shifting, professionals from human medicine, animal medicine and environmental backgrounds must collaborate to tackle this issue. Veterinarians are typically responsible for overseeing and prescribing antibiotic use in animals.

Antibacterial plant combinations prevent postweaning diarrhea in organically raised piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic F18.

Antibiotics and zinc oxide restrictions encourage the search for alternatives to combat intestinal pathogens, including enterotoxigenic (ETEC), a major cause of postweaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs. PWD causes important economic losses for conventional and organic farming. This study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with garlic and apple pomace or blackcurrant on infection indicators and the fecal microbiota of organic-raised piglets challenged with ETEC-F18.

Barefoot Running on Grass as a Potential Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis: A Prospective Case Series.

Background: Foot characteristics and running biomechanics in shod populations are associated with the aetiology of plantar fasciitis, the most common musculoskeletal disease of the foot. Previous Case reports have demonstrated improvements in the symptoms of plantar fasciitis after a period of barefoot running on grass.

Methods: Recreational runners with symptomatic plantar fasciitis were prospectively enrolled into a 6-week grass based barefoot running programme.