Assessment of two essential elements of BVDV control on selected Flemish dairy and beef farms

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viruses to cause disease in cattle worldwide. The virus is endemically present in Belgium. Clinical diagnosis of BVDV infection is difficult. Therefore, monitoring through testing is necessary to detect the presence of the virus on farms. As vaccination alone does not suffice for eradication, a combination of measures is required for successful control. Via a questionnaire, the BVDV policy on 241 selected Flemish cattle farms was investigated. This revealed some striking results. For the majority of the herds, the BVDV status was unknown (63%), And only 23% had a monitoring program in place. Furthermore, on seven out of ten (71%) BVDV-vaccinating farms, vaccination against BVDV was implemented as a strategy without knowing the actual BVDV status

Perception, motivators and obstacles of biosecurity in cattle production

Farm biosecurity includes the prevention of disease transmission within and between farms. Two studies were set up to investigate what motivates and withholds farmers to implement biosecurity measures. The first study aimed to assess the perception of cattle farmers towards biosecurity and to identify possible reasons for its low application. This study consisted of a focus group discussion, of which the trends were used to develop a questionnaire for Flemish cattle farmers. Although the 91 participating farmers were familiar with several measures, they associated them with disease prevention rather than biosecurity. Nearly all farmers (98%) identified their herd veterinarian as their main source of information. Twenty percent and 32% of the respondents were convinced that the implementation of biosecurity would cost them more money and time, respectively. Finally, 80% of the farmers saw room for improvement of their herd, but indicated a need for practical information. The second study aimed to identify the key elements of twenty preselected biosecurity measures, motivators and obstacles for their implementation. They were judged by twenty-two cattle stakeholders, such as farmers, veterinarians and advisors, on feasibility, efficacy and return on investment. A box for parturition, a plan for rodent control and cleaning and disinfection of the stables scored highest overall. The lowest scoring measures were showering before entering the stables and an animal-free period of 24 hours. Their return on investment scored very low, since high investments are required. For a farmer to understand why biosecurity is beneficial, he must understand all risks and costs of disease and how biosecurity may reduce these risks and costs

Potential dietary feed additives with antibacterial effects and their impact on performance of weaned piglets : a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis evaluated the use of potential dietary feed additives (pDFA) with antibacterial effects and their impact on the perfomance of weaned piglets. Twenty-three peer-reviewed in vivo studies, comprising 50 trials, were identified between January 2010 and January 2017. The pDFA in these studies could be grouped in 5 classes: antimicrobial peptides, chitosan, lysozyme, medium chain fatty acids/triglycerides and plant extracts. Mixed-effect meta-analyses with type of pDFA as fixed effect were performed for the growth parameters 'average daily gain' (ADG) and 'feed conversion ratio' (FCR), which are the two most important and used economic performance parameters for farmers. For each class of pDFA, results of the meta-analysis showed significantly higher average daily gain in the group with pDFA compared to the negative control group, while no significant difference with the positive control group was observed. Furthermore, a positive effect on FCR was found, i.e. significantly less feed was needed to gain 1 kg of body weight in the group with pDFA compared to the negative control group. No significant differences with positive control groups were observed for each class of pDFA, except for plant extracts, where the FCR was also significantly reduced in the treatment group. These results suggest that pDFA could reduce the use of antimicrobials without significant negative effects on performance indicators

Relationship between semen quality and meat quality traits in Belgian Piétrain boars

The main objective of this study was to assess the semen quality of Pietrain boars originating from Belgian AI centers and to correlate these results with their meat quality traits. Freshly diluted semen doses from 140 boars originating from 10 artificial insemination (AI) centers were used and stored for five days at 17 degrees C. Motility was assessed daily using a computer assisted semen analyzer (Hamilton-Thorne), while morphology and concentration were assessed on the day of semen collection (Day 0) by eosin-nigrosin staining and the Burker counting chamber, respectively. These data were correlated with the lean meat percentage, loin eye depth and backfat thickness using linear mixed models taking into account the clustering of boars within each AI center and the daily measurements for each semen dose. The mean values (+/- SD) on Day 0 were: motility 79.7 +/- 8.2%, live sperm 91.5 +/- 4.3%, live normal sperm 83.6 +/- 7.4%, and concentration 29.0 +/- 10.6 (x10(6) sperm/mL). The average five-day motility across all AI centers was 77.7 +/- 8.9%. None of the assessed semen quality traits were associated with lean meat percentage. Motility and progressive motility on Day 0 were positively associated with backfat thickness (P < 0.05), while no overall negative associations were elucidated between the latter semen quality traits and loin eye depth. The percentages of live and normal live sperm were not correlated with backfat thickness nor loin eye depth. To conclude, selection of terminal Belgian Pietrain boars for reduced backfat thickness might negatively influence semen motility, whereas selection for increased lean meat percentage and loin eye depth would not necessarily compromise semen quality traits

Effect of a GnRH analogue (peforelin) on the litter performance of gilts and sows

Background: Maintaining optimal reproductive and litter performance is essential for meeting economic targets in commercial pig production. Treatment with exogenous gonadotropins in sows after weaning or in gilts after altrenogest treatment has been used to stimulate follicular development leading to more piglets born and eventually higher birth weights. The effect of peforelin on litter performance was investigated in 212 gilts, primi- and pluriparous sows in three herds. Animals were randomly allocated to three treatments 24 h after weaning: peforelin (P group), eCG (E group), and physiological saline solution (C group). Numbers of total, liveborn and stillborn piglets and mortality rate during lactation were recorded. Birth weights and coefficient of variation in weights within litter were assessed. All parameters were compared among treatments. Results: Over all parities, no difference was found among treatments in litter size nor mortality rate, but birth weights were significantly lower in the E group. Stillbirth numbers in pluriparous sows were 2.2, 0.9 and 1.4 for P, E and C groups, respectively (p = 0.04). Piglets in the P group had significantly higher live born birth weights in gilts, compared to the E group (1.36, 1.26, 1.32 kg (p < 0.02) for P, E and C group, respectively). No significant differences were found for the other investigated parameters. Conclusions: Peforelin treatment showed no improvement of litter performance compared to no treatment

Dogs and their owners have frequent and intensive contact

Contact and interactions between owners and their pets may have beneficial physical and social effects on people, but may also facilitate the transmission of zoonotic agents and resistant bacteria. To estimate the risk of these contacts, more information regarding the frequency and intensity of this physical contact is required. Therefore, an online survey was conducted among pet owners resulting in 701 completed questionnaires. Questions regarding the interactions between dogs and owners were linked with a score from 1 (limited interactions) to 3 (highly intense interactions). After scoring these self-reported interactions, a contact intensity score was calculated for each respondent by summing up the different allocated scores from all questions. This contact intensity score was used to identify predictors of more intense contact based on a multivariable linear regression model. Interactions between dogs and their owners were widespread (e.g., 85.3% of the dogs licked their owner's hand) and intense (e.g., 49.3% of owners reported being licked in the face). The gender, age, and place of residence (city, village, or countryside) of the respondent, together with the size and age of the dog, were significantly associated with the contact intensity score in the multivariable model. On average, female respondents younger than 65 years who lived in the city and had a small young dog had the most intense contact with it. Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of these interactions in light of zoonotic and antimicrobial resistance transfer

The impact of antimicrobial use guidelines on prescription habits in fourteen Flemish small animal practices

A prospective study was performed to explore the prescription habits in fourteen first-line, small animal practices during first consultations of cats and dogs. Consultations one month prior to the implementation of antimicrobial use guidelines and at least 20 days thereafter were examined. Differences in the proportion of consultations during which antimicrobials were prescribed, were assessed. Additionally, changes in the choice of active substance were critically evaluated against the introduced antimicrobial use guidelines. The proportion of consultations where antimicrobials were prescribed decreased in cats and dogs (both -12%) after the introduction of the antimicrobial use guidelines. There was an increase of consultations of cats (+13%) and dogs (+10%) where veterinarians handled according to those guidelines. However, an increase in the prescription of third-choice antimicrobials and highest priority critically important antimicrobials was noticed both in cats (+8% and +12%, respectively) and dogs (both +5%). This unexpected increase invites to create extra awareness amongst prescribers

Voorkomen van resistentie tegen de ‘meest kritisch belangrijke antimicrobiële geneesmiddelen’ bij Escherichia coli-isolaten van hond en kat

A descriptive retrospective analysis of 811 antibiograms in dogs and cats was carried out in order to get a better insight into the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance against 'critically important antimicrobials with highest priority for human medicine' in dogs and cats. A veterinary diagnostic laboratory performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing on 811 Escherichia coli isolates obtained from veterinary clinical samples from dogs and cats in Flanders, Belgium. These isolates were mainly from fecal ( 62.5%) or urogenital (30.5%) origin. A disk diffusion method with breakpoints provided by the supplier of the antibiotic disks was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The results indicated that 9.5% of the Escherichia coli isolates were resistant against or intermediate susceptible to marbo-floxacine, 16.7% to enrofloxacine and 15.7% to cefovecin. The unexpected difference in resistance between marbofloxacine and enrofloxacin may be, at least partially, explained by the different clinical breakpoints used to interpret the results of sensitivity tests for dog and cat isolates in both agents. The observed resistance in this study might be related to the regular use of fluoroquinolones and third generation cephalosporins. Therefore, the use of 'critically important antimicrobials with highest priority for human medicine' remains an important issue in small animal veterinary medicine

Sow and piglet factors determining variation of colostrum intake between and within litters

Colostrum intake has a short- and long-term beneficial impact on piglet performance and mortality. Sows' colostrum production and piglets' colostrum intake are limited and highly variable. The present study investigated sow and piglet factors explaining the variation of colostrum intake between and within litters. The CV for colostrum intake and birth weight (BWb) of all piglets within a litter was calculated to evaluate the variation of colostrum intake and BWb within a litter (colostrum and litter BWb heterogeneity, respectively). A total of 1937 live-born piglets from 135 litters from 10 commercial herds were included. Colostrum intake per piglet averaged 371 +/- 144g and was affected by breed (P = 0.02). It was lower when oxytocin was administered to the sow during parturition (P = 0.001) and with increased litter size (P < 0.001). It was higher when the interval between birth and first suckling decreased (t(Fs), P < 0.001). Colostrum intake was positively influenced by BWb (P < 0.001) and this association was more pronounced in piglets from Topigs (P = 0.03) and Hypor (P = 0.03) sows compared with piglets from Danbred sow breeds. The positive relationship between colostrum intake and BWb was more pronounced when tFs lasted longer (P = 0.009). Heterogeneity in colostrum intake averaged 31 +/- 11%, it increased when oxytocin was applied during farrowing (P = 0.004) and when stillbirth occurred (P = 0.006). Colostrum heterogeneity was positively associated with litter size (P < 0.001) and litter BWb heterogeneity (P = 0.01). The positive relationship between colostrum and litter BWb heterogeneity was more pronounced when oxytocin was applied during farrowing (P = 0.04). The present study demonstrated that oxytocin should be used cautiously in sows during farrowing. Farrowing and colostrum management should prevent or counteract the adverse influences of stillbirth, large and heterogeneous litters on colostrum intake and colostrum heterogeneity. The study also confirmed the expected association between BWb and colostrum intake and indicated that the impact of BWb on colostrum intake was different among breeds (Hypor v. Danbred) and dependent on piglets' latency to first suckling. Hence, colostrum management should focus on low birth weight piglets, especially in some breeds, and low colostrum intake in low birth weight piglets can be counteracted by shortening the tFs