The therapy frequency of antibiotics and phenotypical resistance of Escherichia coli in calf rearing sites in Germany

Introduction The association between antibiotic use and the occurrence of resistant bacteria is a global health problem and is subject to enormous efforts at national and international levels. Within the scope of the study “KAbMon”, the resistance situation as well as the use of antibiotics in calf rearing farms in Germany was investigated. We hypothesized that the levels of resistance are associated with certain calf keeping farm types, such as pre-weaned calf farms, animal groups, and therapy frequency. Methods In total, 95 calf keeping farms were visited between October 2019 and April 2021. At each farm, up to three pooled fecal samples (10 freshly released feces each) were collected. One sample was taken in the youngest calf group, another in the oldest calf group, and one in the hospital box, if available. Escherichia coli was isolated from non-selective MacConkey agar. The therapy frequency reflects the average number of treatment days per calf in a half-year, while the resistance score is the sum of the relative minimum inhibitory concentration per substance over all 10 tested substances. Results The 1781 isolates from 178 samples showed high resistance rates against sulfamethoxazole (82%), tetracycline (49%), and ampicillin (40%). High resistance scores were mainly found in pre-weaned calf farms (purchasing calves from 2  weeks of life) and in the youngest animals. The therapy frequency showed an almost linear relationship with the resistance scores, and the age at purchase was negatively related to the resistance score. Discussion The high use of antimicrobials of young calves might be associated with a high risk for infectious diseases and might indicate that the current system of crowding 14-day-old calves from different farms in one group is not optimal. Further efforts are necessary to educate and motivate the calf keepers to ensure highest levels of hygiene and management as well as animal welfare conditions and to increase animal health

Detection of the start of clinical mastitis by analysing daily activity and milk yield data in dairy cows

Mastitis ist die wirtschaftlich bedeutendste Erkrankung der Milchkuh. Bei der Mastitis des Rindes handelt es sich um eine Faktorenkrankheit. Eine Vielzahl von Einflüssen trägt zu ihrer Entstehung bei und ihre klinische Ausprägung kann divers sein. Mit dem Einzug der Digitalisierung in den Kuhstall wird in precision dairy farming die Möglichkeit gesehen, als Frühwarnsystem (Syndromic Surveillance System) zu dienen. Die Erkennung einer beginnenden Mastitis durch Veränderungen in Milchproduktion bzw. im Verhalten des Rindes kann eine frühzeitige Reaktion und einen Behandlungsvorsprung mit sich bringen, der wiederum eine Relevanz für Tierschutz und Herdengesundheit hat. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden individuelle Milchmengen und Aktivitätsvariablen von Kühen in Boxenlaufstallhaltung der Rasse Holstein Friesian aus zwei Milchviehbetrieben (Betrieb 1 mit 1100 und Betrieb 2 mit 400 melkenden Kühen) verwendet und auf Abweichungen in diesen Variablen an den Tagen vor der Diagnose einer klinischen Mastitis untersucht. Dokumentierte Mastitiden in der Herdensoftware DairyComp305 dienten dazu, Mastitisphasen zu erkennen. Die Kühe waren mit dem Aktivitätssensor IceQube von IceRobotics Ltd., South Queensferry, UK, ausgestattet. Nach der Sichtung der absoluten Werte der täglichen Milchmengen und der Aktivitätswerte (Liegezeit, Stehzeit, Schritte, Motion Index, Wechsel von Stehen zu Liegen) an den zehn Tagen vor einer dokumentierten Mastitis wurde für jedes Mastitis-Ereignis eine individuelle prozentuale Abweichung an den fünf Tagen vor dem Mastitis-Ereignis für die genannten Variablen berechnet. Zum einen reduzierten sich die Variablen auf die prozentualen Abweichungen in Milchmenge, Liegezeit und Motion Index, da die Stehzeit umgekehrt proportional zur Liegezeit ist und die Wechsel von Stehen zu Liegen keinen signifikanten Hinweis gaben, mit dem das spätere Auftreten von Mastitis erklärt werden könnte. Zum anderen erwiesen sich die prozentualen Abweichungen dieser Variablen am Tag 2 vor der dokumentierten Mastitis als signifikant verschieden im Vergleich zur Kontrollphase. Die Nutzung der prozentualen Abweichung der Variablen Milchmenge, Liegezeit und Motion Index zur Abgrenzung der Mastitisphasen von Kontrollphasen ergab mit dem hier genutzten Datensatz in Betrieb 1 eine Sensitivität von 70 % und eine Spezifität von 40 %. Für den Datensatz des Betriebes 2 ergab sich bei einer für diesen Betrieb formulierten Grenzwertkombination bei gleicher Sensitivität von 70 % eine Spezifität von 63,6 %. Die Berücksichtigung des Laktationsstadiums auf die Milchmengenabweichung und der Bezug der Einzeltieraktivität zur Gruppenaktivität ergab keinen bedeutsamen Vorteil in der Abgrenzung von Mastitisphasen zu Kontrollphasen. Nach unserem Kenntnisstand wurde bisher keine vergleichbare Anzahl an Tieren mit Euterentzündungen für Analysen über solch einen langen Zeitraum zu diesem Thema herangezogen. Letztendlich bleibt jedoch anzumerken, dass weiterführende Untersuchungen mit detaillierten Informationen (Diagnoseschlüssel) zur Ausprägung der klinischen Mastitis nötig sind. In einem weiteren Schritt wäre ebenfalls zu prüfen, wie sich die hier gewonnenen Erkenntnisse auf die tägliche Arbeit im Kuhstall anwenden lassen.Mastitis is the disease with the highest economic impact in dairy production. As it is a multifactorial disease, different factors influence the emergence of mastitis and the clinical occurrence can be divers. Digitalization in the dairy barn, known as precision dairy farming, has the potential to serve as a syndromic surveillance system. The detection of a beginning clinical mastitis by changes in milk yield and behavior may allow early recognition and treatment of the cow at risk. In this study, individual milk yields and activity variables of holstein frisian dairy cows housed in freestall barns in two dairy farms (farm 1 hold 1100 and farm 2 hold 400 milking cows) were investigated for deviations of this variables in the days, before clinical mastitis was diagnosed. Documented mastitis events in the herd management software Dairy Comp305 were used to identify mastitis periods. The cows were equipped with activity sensors (IceQubes of IceRobotics LtD, South Queensferry, UK). First, the absolute values of daily milk yields and activity values (lying time, standing time, steps, motion index and changes of standing to lying) were examined ten days before the documented mastitis event. After that, the individual relative deviation five days before mastitis was calculated for all listed variables. Due to the indirect proportional relationship of standing time and lying time and the lack of statistical significance of changes between standing and lying concerning the development of mastitis, the number of variables were reduced to the relative deviation in milk yield, lying time and motion index. On day two before the documented mastitis, the chosen variables were significant compared to the control periods. The relative deviations of milk yield, lying time and motion index were used to distinguish between animals with mastitis and a control group. In farm 1, a combination of cut-off points led to a sensitivity of 70 % and a specificity of 40 %. In farm 2, the sensitivity of 70 % and specificity of 63.6 % was reached. When the effect of the lactation phase on the deviation in milk yield and the individual activity to the group activity was taken into account, it became evident that this was no meaningful advantage in distinguishing mastitis periods from a control periods by relative deviations. So far, no comparable number of mastitis events over such a long period was used for analysing this topic. It has to be noted however, that further analyses may be necessary, which could utilize more detailed information about clinical mastitis. It will also be important to check the insights of this thesis during the daily work in dairy farms

Mental health of working parents during the COVID-19 pandemic: can resilience buffer the impact of psychosocial work stress on depressive symptoms?

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has confronted working parents with an accumulation of stressors regarding changes in work, family, and social life, putting their mental health at risk. Stressors include altered working conditions such as working from home or changes in working hours as well as the difficulty to reconcile work and childcare due to the closure of childcare facilities. The present study examined the relationship of psychosocial work stress (i.e., work-privacy conflict and effort-reward imbalance at work) and depressive symptoms in working parents and whether this association was moderated by individual resilience. Methods Data of the present study (n = 452) were collected in Germany between May and June 2020 as part of the DREAMCORONA study. A subsample of working mothers (n = 191) and fathers (n = 261) completed the subscale for work-privacy conflict (WPC) of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Multiple linear regression analyses including moderation were performed, controlling for gender, working hours per week, and a lifetime history of depression as potential confounders. Results Both WPC (β = 0.336, p < .001) and ERI (β = 0.254, p < .001) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Resilience moderated the relationship between ERI and depressive symptoms (β = − 0.101, p = .018), indicating that higher resilience weakened the relationship. However, this effect was not found regarding the relationship between WPC and depressive symptoms (β = 0.055, p = .167). Conclusions The results highlight the need for measures to reduce psychosocial work stressors such as WPC and ERI during the COVID-19 pandemic on the one hand and to promote resilience on the other hand. The findings partially support the potential protective role of resilience buffering the association between psychosocial stress and mental health in working parents. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this effect

The therapy frequency of antibiotics and phenotypical resistance of Escherichia coli in calf rearing sites in Germany

IntroductionThe association between antibiotic use and the occurrence of resistant bacteria is a global health problem and is subject to enormous efforts at national and international levels. Within the scope of the study “KAbMon”, the resistance situation as well as the use of antibiotics in calf rearing farms in Germany was investigated. We hypothesized that the levels of resistance are associated with certain calf keeping farm types, such as pre-weaned calf farms, animal groups, and therapy frequency.MethodsIn total, 95 calf keeping farms were visited between October 2019 and April 2021. At each farm, up to three pooled fecal samples (10 freshly released feces each) were collected. One sample was taken in the youngest calf group, another in the oldest calf group, and one in the hospital box, if available. Escherichia coli was isolated from non-selective MacConkey agar. The therapy frequency reflects the average number of treatment days per calf in a half-year, while the resistance score is the sum of the relative minimum inhibitory concentration per substance over all 10 tested substances.ResultsThe 1781 isolates from 178 samples showed high resistance rates against sulfamethoxazole (82%), tetracycline (49%), and ampicillin (40%). High resistance scores were mainly found in pre-weaned calf farms (purchasing calves from 2  weeks of life) and in the youngest animals. The therapy frequency showed an almost linear relationship with the resistance scores, and the age at purchase was negatively related to the resistance score.DiscussionThe high use of antimicrobials of young calves might be associated with a high risk for infectious diseases and might indicate that the current system of crowding 14-day-old calves from different farms in one group is not optimal. Further efforts are necessary to educate and motivate the calf keepers to ensure highest levels of hygiene and management as well as animal welfare conditions and to increase animal health

Childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms – examining associations with hair endocannabinoid concentrations during pregnancy and lifetime trauma

Abstract Evidence has linked alterations of the endocannabinoid system with trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Childbirth-related PTSD symptoms (CB-PTSS) affect about every eighth woman and can negatively influence the entire family. While aetiological models of CB-PTSD include psychological risk factors such as maternal trauma history and negative subjective birth experience (SBE), they lack biological risk indicators. We investigated whether lifetime trauma and CB-PTSS were associated with long-term endocannabinoid concentrations during pregnancy. Further, we tested endocannabinoids as mediators between lifetime trauma and CB-PTSS and whether SBE moderated such mediational paths. Within the prospective cohort study DREAMHAIR, 263 expectant mothers completed trauma assessments and provided hair samples for quantification of long-term endocannabinoid levels (anandamide [AEA], 2-arachidonoylglycerol [1-AG/2-AG], and N-acyl-ethanolamides [NAE]) prior to their anticipated birth date. Two months postpartum, CB-PTSS and SBE were measured. Regression models controlling for relevant confounders showed no association between lifetime trauma and hair endocannabinoids during pregnancy, yet higher number of lifetime trauma events and lower hair AEA were significantly associated with CB-PTSS, with the latter finding not remaining significant when Bonferroni corrections due to multiple testing were applied. While hair AEA did not mediate the association between lifetime trauma and CB-PTSS, the effect of lower hair AEA on CB-PTSS was stronger upon negative SBE. Results suggest greater lifetime trauma and reduced maternal hair AEA during pregnancy may be associated with increased risk for CB-PTSS, particularly upon negative SBE. Findings confirm lifetime trauma as a CB-PTSS risk factor and add important preliminary insights on the role of endocannabinoid ligand alterations and SBE in CB-PTSS pathology

Does positioning of chromosomes 8 and 21 in interphase drive t(8;21) in acute myelogenous leukemia?

The impact of chromosome architecture in the formation of chromosome aberrations is a recent finding of interphase directed molecular cytogenetic studies. There evidence was provided that disease specific chromosomal translocations could be due to tissue specific genomic organization. In a recent small pilot study using three-dimensional interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization, we showed that there might be a specific chromosome positioning in myeloid bone marrow cells, i.e. a co-localization of chromosomes 8 and 21. Here we could substantiate this finding in overall 21 studied cases with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that there is even a co-localization of the genes AML1 and ETO. This finding led to the suggestion that a specific interphase architecture of myeloid bone marrow cells might promote the typical t(8;21)(q22;q22) leading to AML-M2

The effect of maternal childhood maltreatment on postpartum mother–child bonding and maternal hair glucocorticoids

Background: Maternal experiences of childhood maltreatment (CM) constitute a risk factor for impairments in the mother–child relationship. One mechanism underlying this intergenerational transmission may be maternal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation. Yet, few studies have examined different maltreatment subtypes, including emotional neglect, considered concurrent depressive symptoms, and used long-term integrated glucocorticoid measures. Objective: This study aimed to investigate associations between maternal CM history, postpartum glucocorticoids in hair, and mother–child bonding. In exploratory analyses, we tested whether specific subtypes of CM had differential implications for glucocorticoid secretion and bonding. Methods: During pregnancy, N = 269 mothers from the prospective cohort study DREAMHAIR provided retrospective information on CM and current information regarding psychological and hair-related variables. Hair samples were collected 8 weeks after delivery for quantification of maternal long-term hair cortisol and cortisone concentrations in 2-cm scalp-near hair samples. Mother–child bonding was measured 8 weeks and 14 months after birth using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire. Results: While bivariate correlations revealed significant associations of CM with bonding and hair cortisol, regression findings showed CM was associated with impaired bonding 8 weeks (overall CM trend-level; emotional neglect p = .038) and 14 months (emotional neglect trend level p = .041) after birth, however not after controlling for depressive symptoms at the time point of the outcome. In regression analyses, CM was not associated with maternal hair glucocorticoids 8 weeks postpartum. Maternal hair glucocorticoid concentrations were not related to mother–child bonding and did not mediate associations between CM and mother–child bonding. Conclusion: Data tentatively suggest that mothers with CM experiences, in particular emotional neglect, may be at risk for suboptimal bonding to their child, however current depressive symptoms seem to be more important. Our data provide no evidence for a crucial role of glucocorticoid secretion, yet aetiological processes of long-term glucocorticoid secretion and bonding are complex and more severely affected samples should be examined. Maternal childhood maltreatment experiences, in particular emotional neglect, were associated with impaired mother–child bonding postpartum, however not after considering current depressive symptoms.While maternal childhood maltreatment correlated with maternal hair cortisol 8 weeks postpartum, this was not confirmed in regression analyses controlling for relevant confounders.Maternal hair glucocorticoid concentrations were not associated with impaired mother–child bonding. Maternal childhood maltreatment experiences, in particular emotional neglect, were associated with impaired mother–child bonding postpartum, however not after considering current depressive symptoms. While maternal childhood maltreatment correlated with maternal hair cortisol 8 weeks postpartum, this was not confirmed in regression analyses controlling for relevant confounders. Maternal hair glucocorticoid concentrations were not associated with impaired mother–child bonding.</p