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Huber N, Gundling N, Thurow M, Ligges U, Hoedemaker M. Which Factors Influence the Consumption of Antibiotics in Q-Fever-Positive Dairy Farms in Northern Germany? Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1375. [PMID: 38731379 PMCID: PMC11083311 DOI: 10.3390/ani14091375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
It was the aim of this study to examine whether the usage of the vaccine COXEVAC® (Ceva Santé Animale) could reduce the consumption of antibiotics in Q-fever-positive dairy farms. Additionally, the effects of other herd-level factors on the consumption of antibiotics were investigated. A total of 36 farms with vaccination and 13 farms without vaccination participated in this longitudinal cohort study. In all herds, Coxiella burnetii had been directly or indirectly diagnosed. To compare the treatment frequency of antibiotics between the vaccinated group and the non-vaccinated group, the consumption of antibiotics for each farm was collected using the veterinary documents about the application and delivery of antibiotics. To gather detailed information about herd data, nutrition, milking management, housing, and animal health, the farmers were interviewed with the help of a questionnaire. The results thereof suggest that there might be an association between the vaccination against Q fever and a reduced consumption of antibiotics. Neither herd size nor milk yield level influenced the consumption of antibiotics in the study herds. Type of flooring and udder-cluster disinfection while milking were associated with a lower and higher therapy frequency, respectively. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the cause-effect relationship between vaccination and the consumption of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niclas Huber
- Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Natascha Gundling
- Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Maria Thurow
- Department of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, 44221 Dortmund, Germany (U.L.)
- UA Ruhr, Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Uwe Ligges
- Department of Statistics, TU Dortmund University, 44221 Dortmund, Germany (U.L.)
| | - Martina Hoedemaker
- Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
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Meroni G, Sora V, Zaghen F, Laterza G, Martino PA, Zecconi A. Innovative Elastomers with Antimicrobial Activity May Decrease Infection Risks during Milking. Pathogens 2023; 12:1431. [PMID: 38133314 PMCID: PMC10747183 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Contagious pathogens are very costly to dairy herds, and they may have zoonotic and reverse-zoonotic potentials and may contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. One of the most important risk factors for spreading these infections is milking, when liner contamination may transfer the pathogens from infected to healthy cows. There is no effective protocol to prevent the transmission of infection without the segregation of infected cows. Recently, the availability of elastomers with patented antimicrobial components in their formulations has allowed the exploration of alternative methods to reduce the risk of infection. Two different types of elastomers (rubber and silicone) and nine different formulations were challenged with three major mastitis pathogens (S. aureus, S. agalactiae, and E. coli). The results that were obtained in this study were interesting and unexpected. Indeed, to our knowledge, this is the first study to show that basic rubber materials have intrinsic antimicrobial activity. Silicone elastomers did not exhibit the same levels of bactericidal activity, although they did exhibit some antibacterial capacity. A significant decrease in bacterial survival curves was observed for all the formulations tested when antimicrobial components were added. The different results observed for the various products are likely due to the different formulations and diverse manufacturing processes. The availability of these new materials that significantly reduce the bacterial load on the liner surface may reduce the risk of spreading intramammary infections during milking. This would be an important step forward in achieving global sustainability of dairy herds, consistent with the objectives of One Health, by reducing the risks of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Meroni
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
| | - Valerio Sora
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Zaghen
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Laterza
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Community Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Celoria 22, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Piera Anna Martino
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
| | - Alfonso Zecconi
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences-One Health Unit, School of Medicine, University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy; (G.M.); (V.S.); (F.Z.); (G.L.); (P.A.M.)
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