Increased risk of pneumonia amongst residents living near goat farms in different livestock-dense regions in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND: Previous studies, performed between 2009-2019, in the Netherlands observed an until now still unexplained increased risk for pneumonia among residents living close to goat farms. Since data were collected in the provinces Noord-Brabant and Limburg (NB-L), an area with relatively high air pollution levels and proximity to large industrial areas in Europe, the question remains whether the results are generalizable to other regions. In this study, a different region, covering the provinces Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel (UGO) with a similar density of goat farms, was included to assess whether the association between goat farm proximity and pneumonia is consistently observed across the Netherlands. METHODS: Data for this study were derived from the Electronic Health Records (EHR) of 21 rural general practices (GPs) in UGO, for 2014-2017. Multi-level analyses were used to compare annual pneumonia prevalence between UGO and data derived from rural reference practices ('control area'). Random-effects meta-analysis (per GP practice) and kernel analyses were performed to study associations of pneumonia with the distance between goat farms and patients' home addresses. RESULTS: GP diagnoses of pneumonia occurred 40% more often in UGO compared to the control area. Meta-analysis showed an association at a distance of less than 500m (~70% more pneumonia compared to >500m) and 1000m (~20% more pneumonia compared to >1000m). The kernel-analysis for three of the four individual years showed an increased risk up to a distance of one or two kilometers (2-36% more pneumonia; 10-50 avoidable cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year). CONCLUSIONS: The positive association between living in the proximity of goat farms and pneumonia in UGO is similar to the previously found association in NB-L. Therefore, we concluded that the observed associations are relevant for regions with goat farms in the entire country

Long-term carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in the general population in the Netherlands.

This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (risk factors for) persistence of carriage and molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum and pAmpC β-lactamase-producing (ESBL/pAmpC) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-E/K) in adults in the Dutch community

Long-term carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in the general population in the Netherlands.

This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (risk factors for) persistence of carriage and molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum and pAmpC β-lactamase-producing (ESBL/pAmpC) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-E/K) in adults in the Dutch community

Long-term carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in the general population in the Netherlands

Background: This longitudinal study aimed to investigate (risk factors for) persistence of carriage and molecular characteristics of extended-spectrum and pAmpC β-lactamase-producing (ESBL/pAmpC) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-E/K) in adults in the Dutch community. Methods: Following a cross-sectional study (ESBL-E/K prevalence 4.5%), a subset of ESBL-E/K positive (n=76) and negative (n=249) individuals volunteered to provide five monthly faecal samples and questionnaires. ESBL-E/K was cultured using selective enrichment/culture and MLSTs were determined. ESBL/pAmpC-genes were analysed using PCR and sequencing. Plasmids were characterized and subtyped by plasmid MLST. Risk factors for persistent carriage were analysed using logistic regression. Results: Of the initially ESBL-E/K positive participants, 25/76 (32.9%) remained positive in all subsequent samples; 51/76 persons (67.1%) tested ESBL-E/K negative at some time point during follow-up of which 31 (40.8%) stayed negative throughout the longitudinal study. Carriers often carried the same ESBL-gene and plasmid, but sometimes in different ESBL-E/K strains, indicative for horizontal transfer of plasmids. Of the 249 initially ESBL-E/K negative participants, the majority (n=218, 87.6%) tested negative during eight months follow-up, whereas 31/249 (12.4%) participants acquired an ESBL-E/K. E. coli phylogenetic group B2 and D and travel to ESBL high prevalence countries were associated with prolonged carriage. Conclusion: ESBL-E/K carriage persisted for more than eight months in 32.9% of the initially ESBL-positive individuals, while 12.4% of initially negatives acquired ESBL-E/K during the study. A single positive test result provides no accurate prediction for prolonged carriage. Acquisition/loss of ESBL-E/K does not seem to be a random process, but differs between bacterial genotypes