160 Relationship between biosecurity and production antimicrobial treatment characteristics in pig herds (Research paper – Laanen, 2013)

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160 Research paper – Laanen – 2013 – Relationship between biosecurity and productionantimicrobial treatment characteristics in pig herds

Biosecurity
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
The biosecurity status of 95 breeder–finisher pig herds was quantified using the Biocheck.ugent scoring system. Data relating to herd-, farmer- and production-characteristics and to the preventive use of antimicrobials were also collected. The average external biosecurity score (measures to prevent pathogens from entering a herd) was 65 (range, 45–89) and the average internal score (measures to reduce the within-herd spread of pathogens) was 52 (range, 18–87). Scores indicated that biosecurity is generally better implemented in larger herds, in more modern facilities and by younger farmers. External and internal biosecurity scores were positively associated with daily weight gain and negatively associated with feed conversion ratio of fattening pigs. Internal scores were negatively associated with disease treatment incidence, suggesting that improved biosecurity may help reduce preventive use of antimicrobials. This study demonstrates and quantifies a clear link between biosecurity and both production- and antimicrobial treatment-related criteria in pig herds.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24268483; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.08.029
Country: BE

159 Pig cattle and poultry farmers with a known interest in research have comparable perspectives on disease prevention and on-farm biosecurity (Research paper – Laanen, 2014)

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159 Research paper – Laanen – 2014 – Pig cattle and poultry farmers with a known interest in research have comparable perspectives on disease prevention and on-farm biosecurity

Biosecurity \ Pathogen management
Species targeted: Pigs; Poultry; Dairy; Beef;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
Understanding farmer’s perception is crucial for implementing disease prevention measures. To study this, an online questionnaire was given to 218 pig, 279 cattle and 61 poultry farmers in Flanders, Belgium. The term ‘biosecurity’ was correctly explained by less than 10% of these farmers. In general, all farmers had similar knowledge on disease prevention and biosecurity. There were differences in what farmers found more important: cattle farmers favored animal welfare, and pig farmers, on the other hand, favored the stability of the farm. Insufficient motivation was the most likely reason for poor implementation of biosecurity measures. Across the species, farmers indicate that insufficient information on costs and benefit is the biggest problem in application of preventive measures. The veterinarian is seen as the main source of information concerning disease prevention and biosecurity. With more explanation by the herd veterinarian increases being a major factor in farmer’s interest in disease prevention.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24703250; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.03.015
Country: BE

150 Biocheck Ugent – A quantitative tool to measure biosecurity at broiler farms and the relationship with technical performance and antimicrobial use (Research paper – Gelaude, 2014)

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150 Research paper – Gelaude – 2014 – Biocheck Ugent_ a quantitative tool to measure biosecurity at broiler farms and the relationship with technical performance and antimicrobial use

SIG: Biosecurity
Species targeted: Poultry;
Age: Young;Adult;
Summary:
The Biocheck.UGent scoring system was developed to measure and quantify the level of biosecurity on broiler farms. This tool is composed of all relevant components of biosecurity on broiler farms and is subdivided into external (purchase of 1-d-old chicks, off-farm movements of live animals, feed and water supply, removal of manure and dead birds, entrance of visitors and personnel, supply of materials, infrastructure and biological vectors, location of the farm) and internal (disease management, cleaning and disinfection, materials, and measures between compartments) biosecurity. This scoring system takes the relative importance of the different biosecurity aspects into account, resulting in a risk-based weighted score. The Biocheck.UGent scoring system can be filled in for free at www.Biocheck.UGent.be. The obtained biosecurity scores are provided immediately after completion of the questionnaire, and the scores for each subcategory can be compared with national averages to allow for benchmarking of results between colleagues.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25193257; http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps.2014-04002

Country: BE

148 Review of transmission routes of 24 infectious diseases preventable by biosecurity measures and comparison of the implementation of these measures (Research paper – Filippitzi, 2018)

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148 Research paper – Filippitzi – 2018 – Review of transmission routes of 24 infectious diseases preventable by biosecurity measures and comparison of the implementation of these measures

SIG: Biosecurity
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
This study reviews the transmission routes of important infectious pig diseases and their impact on transmission in pig herds. First, a literature review identifying transmission routes of 24 infectious pig diseases preventable through biosecurity measures was done. Second, the level of implementation of these measures using data obtained from 574 pig farms in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, entered between January 2014 and January 2016 was analyzed quantitatively. Third, a qualitative analysis based on a review of literature and other relevant information resources was performed. The quantitative analysis indicated that at the level of internal, external and overall biosecurity, Denmark had a distinct profile with higher external biosecurity scores and less variation than the other countries. The qualitative analysis identified differences in applied policies, legislation, disease status, pig farm density, farming culture and habits between countries that can be useful for country-specific biosecurity advice.
148

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29124908; https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12758

Country: BE; DK

145 Evaluation of three intervention strategies to reduce the transmission of Salmonella Typhimurium in pigs (Research paper – De Ridder, 2013)

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145 Research paper – De Ridder – 2013 – Evaluation of three intervention strategies to reduce the transmission of Salmonella Typhimurium in pigs

SIG: Feed / gut health \ Feed additives and supplements; Pathogen management
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Adult;
Summary:
Despite current control measures, Salmonella in pigs remains a major public health concern. In this in vivo study, the effect of three intervention strategies on Salmonella Typhimurium transmission in pigs was evaluated. The first intervention was feed supplemented with coated calcium-butyrate, the second comprised oral vaccination with a double-attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium strain, and the third was acidification of drinking water with a mixture of organic acids. Both feed supplementation with coated calcium-butyrate and vaccination with an attenuated vaccine decreased Salmonella Typhimurium transmission in pigs. Further studies are needed to assess the practical issues related to the implementation of these interventions. For example, more data are needed to determine the best age groups and treatment regimens for the coated calcium-butyrate and to learn how to overcome the problem of Salmonella-specific antibodies in vaccinated pigs.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23680264; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.03.026

Country: BE

143 Effect of administration of organic acids in drinking water on faecal shedding of E. coli performance parameters and health in nursery pigs (Research paper – De Busser, 2011)

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143 Research paper – De Busser – 2011 – Effect of administration of organic acids in drinking water on faecal shedding of E. coli performance parameters and health in nursery pigs

SIG: Water

Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young;
Summary:
This study evaluated the effect of altering the pH of drinking water on Escherichia coli in nursery piglets under field conditions as well as their performance parameters and health. This study indicates that acidification of the drinking water to a low pH can be helpful to reduce the E. coli load in nursery pigs and may be used in herds affected with post-weaning diarrhoea. As our study was performed in one herd only, further investigations are needed to confirm the findings and to determine the effects of different pH values of the drinking water on average daily feed intake (DFI), Daily weight gain (DWG), Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and clinical parameters.

Where to find the original material: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023310001140; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.04.006
Country: BE

142 Using the Biocheck UGent scoring tool in Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms_ assessing biosecurity and its relation to productive performance (Research paper – Da Costa – 2019)

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142 Research paper – da Costa – 2019 – Using the Biocheck UGen scoring tool in Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms_ assessing biosecurity and its relation to productive performance

Significant Interest Groups: Biosecurity

Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
Biosecurity is one of the main factors affecting disease occurrence and antimicrobial use, and it is associated with performance in pig production. The aim of this study was to describe the biosecurity status in a cohort of Irish pig farms, and to study the impact of biosecurity on farm performance. External biosecurity score was high compared to most countries due to the characteristics of the Irish pig sector (i.e. purchasing only semen and breeding gilts on farm). The internal biosecurity score was lower and had greater variability among farms than other EU countries. Data analysis showed the biosecurity practices explained 8, 23, and 16% of variability in piglet mortality, finisher mortality, and average daily gain, respectively. Our results point out that lower performing farms need to improve practices related to the environment, region, feed, water and equipment supply, and the overall management of the different production stages.

Where to find the original material: https://rdcu.be/b40Qv; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-018-0113-6
Country: IE; BE: ES

135 Effectiveness of alternative measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production in four European countries (Research paper – Raasch, 2020)

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135 Research paper – Raasch – 2020 – Effectiveness of alternative measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production in four European countries

In Significant Impact Groups: Specific alternatives \  AMU reduction strategies
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
The reduction of antimicrobial usage (AMU) is in the focus in modern pig production. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of alternatives to reduce AMU at herd level. In a study, 68 farrow-to-finish pig herds located in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden were recruited on a voluntary basis to implement tailor-made intervention plans to reduce AMU. Alternative measures included improvement of biosecurity, vaccination, changes of feeding schemes or drinking water quality, improved pig health and welfare care as well as changes in stable climate and zootechnical measures. Following tailor-made implementation of alternative measures, a substantial reduction of AMU in pig production was achievable without jeopardizing animal health. The AMU reduction in the youngest age categories (suckling and weaned pigs) and the reduction of group treatments via feed and water was in line with the recent European Guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7050127/; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-020-0145-6

Country: BE; FR; DE; SE

134 Profile of pig farms combining high performance and low (Research paper – Collineau, 2017 )

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134 Research paper – Collineau – 2017 – Profile of pig farms combining high performance and low

In Significant Impact Groups: Biosecurity \ Pathogen management
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
Pig farmers have been advised to reduce their antimicrobial usage because of the threat of antimicrobial resistance. This study investigates the profile of ‘top-farms’, which combine both high technical performance and low antimicrobial usage. A study was conducted among 227 farrow-to-finish farms in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Within this study, 44 top-farms were compared with the ‘regular’ farms in terms of farm characteristics, biosecurity and health status. Top-farms had fewer gastrointestinal symptoms in suckling pigs and fewer respiratory symptoms in fatteners, which could partly explain their reduced need for antimicrobials and higher performance. They also had higher biosecurity and were located in sparsely populated pig areas. However, 14 farms of the top-farms group were located in densely populated pig areas, but they had higher internal biosecurity and more extensive vaccination against respiratory pathogens. These results illustrate that it is possible to control infectious diseases with low antimicrobial usage.
134

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29051316; https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.103988

Country: CH; FR; SE; BE; DE; DK

132 Application of multiblock modelling to identify key drivers for antimicrobial use in pig production in four European countries (Research paper – Collineau, 2018)

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132 Research paper – Collineau – 2018 – Application of multiblock modelling to identify key drivers for antimicrobial use in pig production in four European countries

In Significant Impact Groups: Pathogen management \ Biosecurity
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
Antimicrobial use in pig farming is influenced by a range of risk factors, including herd characteristics, biosecurity level, farm performance, occurrence of clinical signs and vaccination scheme, as well as farmers’ attitudes and habits towards antimicrobial use. So far, the effect of these risk factors has been explored separately. This study aimed to investigate the relative importance of all these risk factors in a sample of 207 farrow- to-finish farms from Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. The occurrence of clinical signs, especially of respiratory and nervous diseases in fatteners, was one of the largest contributing risk factors in all four countries, whereas the effect of the other risk factors differed between countries. In terms of risk management, it suggests that a holistic and country-specific mitigation strategy is likely to be more effective.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29665870; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268818000742

Country: CH; FR; SE; DE; BE