{"title":"A scenario model to support freedom from African swine fever virus in Western Canada populated with data from Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network and CanSpotASF","authors":"Jette Christensen , Glen Duizer","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>African swine fewer (ASF) is a serious disease present in Africa, Eurasia, and the Caribbean but not in continental North America. CanSpotASF describes the ASF surveillance in Canada. It enhanced the passive surveillance by adding new surveillance components one by one. The first enhancement was “the risk-based early detection testing (rule-out testing)” where cases with eligible conditions were tested for ASF virus (ASFv). The rule-out testing started in 2020 and we have over 3 years data in the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network (CWSHIN) data repository on ASFv rule-out testing. The objectives were to develop and assess a scenario tree model (STM) for ASFv freedom to support the claim that commercial swine in Western Canada were free from ASFv; to assess if the CWSHIN repository data may be useful in the STM; and to assess if the rule-out testing had contributed to more evidence of freedom from ASFv than we would have had with passive surveillance alone. To compare and assess different scenarios we used the model’s ability to accumulate evidence of freedom from the July quarter in 2020 to the July quarter in 2023 (13 quarters). We concluded that a method to assess the ability of a scenario and model to accumulate evidence of freedom, based on increasing probability of freedom that approached an equilibrium and a system sensitivity of at least 0.2–0.3, was useful. The CWSHIN data repository was critical to populate the model because it included both number of clinical assessments by herd veterinarians (from quarterly surveys); routine diagnostic data (pathology examinations) and ASF testing results from laboratories. The take home message was that the probability that a herd veterinarian will report a suspicion of ASF to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (seVet) affected the outcomes of the STM. If the probability that a herd veterinarian reports to CFIA is low (seVet=0.01), then pathology examination and CanSpotASF will improve the STM outcomes. If the probability that a herd veterinarian reports to CFIA is high (seVet is 0.7 or higher), then there is no need for additional pathology and CanSpotASF testing. We expect the actual probability of reporting and subsequent value of additional pathology and testing to between these two scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106523"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143737836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda Fernández-Fontelo , María Teresa Lasierra-Morales , Marta Carmona , Marina Sibila , Laura Garza-Moreno
{"title":"Time series modelling of swine lung lesion prevalence to predict the temporal dynamics of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infections in Spain","authors":"Amanda Fernández-Fontelo , María Teresa Lasierra-Morales , Marta Carmona , Marina Sibila , Laura Garza-Moreno","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Respiratory diseases are considered one of the most important problems in swine production worldwide due to the significant economic losses associated. Lung lesion evaluation at slaughterhouses by different scoring systems is commonly used to monitor respiratory diseases in swine. Concretely, cranioventral pulmonary consolidation lesions are associated with enzootic pneumonia (EP) caused by <em>Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhyo);</em> whereas haemorrhagic necrotizing pneumonia, mainly in the dorso-caudal lung lobes, and chronic pleuritis (CP) are associated with <em>Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae</em> (<em>App)</em>. Despite the recent consideration of several statistical methods for modelling the temporal dynamics of diseases and the construction of monitoring systems, none have been applied to lung lesions data collected at slaughterhouses. Thus, this work aimed (1) to describe the temporal patterns of EP and CP-like lesions in Spain using time series methods to model the collected data on lung lesions at slaughterhouses; and (2) to construct and evaluate in quasi-real time a surveillance system for early detection of outbreaks and abnormal trends potentially related to both pathogens. In total, 16 time series were analysed including 3947 audits from 474 Spanish farms associated with 302 companies between 2016 and 2019. The monthly time series of the EP index between 2016 and 2019 in Spain (point estimate for Spain was −0.088 with an associated <em>p</em> = 0.073) and different Spanish subregions showed decreasing trend patterns (point estimates for Aragon was −0.028 with an associated <em>p</em> = 0.000 and for Catalonia was −0.064 with an associated <em>p</em> = 0.092), whereas the monthly time series of the CP index increased (point estimate for Spain was 0.004 with an associated <em>p</em> = 0.045 and for Aragon was 0.007 with an associated <em>p</em> = 0.000) over the same period. Additionally, the predictive performance of the estimated models was evaluated at quasi-real time using the data between 2020 and 2021. Results from this evaluation showed that overall, the selected models predicted the evolution of both the EP and CP indices in a reasonable manner being between 90 % prediction intervals. Therefore, time series models constructed in this work could be used to prevent and shorten the response time in implementing of control strategies against these respiratory pathogens minimizing their economic impact associated.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106525"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joshua Hewitt , Grete Wilson-Henjum , Jeffrey C. Chandler , Aaron T. Phillips , Diego G. Diel , W. David Walter , Alec Baker , Jennifer Høy-Petersen , Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau , Tadao Kishimoto , George Wittemyer , Jeremy Alder , Sara Hathaway , Kezia R. Manlove , Travis Gallo , Jennifer Mullinax , Carson Coriell , Matthew Payne , Meggan E. Craft , Tyler J. Garwood , Kim M. Pepin
{"title":"Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection methods for wild Cervidae","authors":"Joshua Hewitt , Grete Wilson-Henjum , Jeffrey C. Chandler , Aaron T. Phillips , Diego G. Diel , W. David Walter , Alec Baker , Jennifer Høy-Petersen , Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau , Tadao Kishimoto , George Wittemyer , Jeremy Alder , Sara Hathaway , Kezia R. Manlove , Travis Gallo , Jennifer Mullinax , Carson Coriell , Matthew Payne , Meggan E. Craft , Tyler J. Garwood , Kim M. Pepin","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106522","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106522","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildlife surveillance programs often use serological data to monitor exposure to pathogens. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of a serological assay quantify the true positive and negative rates of the diagnostic assay, respectively. However, an assay’s accuracy can be affected by wild animals’ pathogen exposure history and quality of the sample collected, requiring separate estimates of an assay’s detection ability for wild-sampled animals where an animal’s true disease status is unknown (referred to hereafter as sampling sensitivity and specificity). We assessed the sampling sensitivity and specificity of a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) and conventional virus neutralization tests (cVNT) to detect antibodies for ancestral and Omicron B.1.1.529 variants of SARS-CoV-2 in wild white-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus virginianus</em>) and mule deer (<em>Odocoileus hemionus</em>). We studied the influence of sample collection method using paired blood samples collected in serum separator tubes and on Nobuto strips from the same animal. Mean estimates of sampling sensitivity and specificity ranged from 0.21–0.95 and 0.94–1.00, respectively, varying by sample collection method, host species, and SARS-CoV-2 variant targeted by the assay. Broadly, sampling sensitivity was estimated to be higher for 1) sera collected in tubes, 2) detecting pre-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants, and 3) sVNT relative to cVNT assays. Sampling specificity tended to be high for all tests. We augmented our study with SARS-CoV-2 spike protein sequences derived from sampling locations and times coincident with white-tailed deer captures, finding common amino acid mutations relative to the sVNT Omicron antigen variant. The mutations may indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in cervids from 2021 through 2024 may be better adapted to cervid hosts and more closely related to variants that circulated in humans prior to Omicron variants. We conclude our study with an inter-test comparison of sVNT results, revealing that 40 % inhibition is an optimal threshold for test positivity when testing deer sera for responses to Omicron variant B.1.1.529, compared to the 30 % inhibition recommended for ancestral variants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106522"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lauren Powell , Darko Stefanovski , Nancy A. Dreschel , James Serpell
{"title":"The impacts of household factors and proxies of human social determinants of health on dog behavior","authors":"Lauren Powell , Darko Stefanovski , Nancy A. Dreschel , James Serpell","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social determinants of health (SDOH) have an enormous impact on human health and behavior, although their possible effects on canine behavior have received limited scientific attention. The goals of this observational cohort study were to identify associations between canine behavior, household environments, and zip code-level proxies for human SDOH, and to explore longitudinal impacts on behavior. We used an existing dataset of C-BARQ behavioral assessments from 3044 golden retrievers in the United States, including up to eight years of data per dog collected between 2012 and 2023. The data were analyzed using linear mixed effect models and generalized estimating equations. We found dogs from single-dog homes had increased odds of dog-directed fear (OR 1.44, 95 % CI 1.30–1.61) and poorer trainability, particularly during early adulthood (<em>F</em>=14.32, <em>p</em> < 0.001). Sleeping in the owners’ bed was associated with increased aggression towards strangers, and a greater reduction in trainability (<em>F</em>=20.71, p < 0.001) and energy with age (<em>F</em>=8.20, <em>p</em> = 0.004). Dogs in the most densely populated neighborhoods had greater odds of showing aggression to strangers compared with dogs in sparsely (OR 0.78, 95 % CI 0.63–0.95) or moderately populated neighborhoods (OR 0.73, 95 % CI 0.60–0.90). Together, our findings illustrate how conspecific relationships, human interactions, home and neighborhood environments affect dog behavior, and show, for the first time, that household characteristics and ownership behaviors have differential impacts on behavior across the lifespan. Future studies including more diverse human and canine populations are needed to provide further insights about the impacts of SDOH on dog health and welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106520"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
José Denis-Robichaud , Nicolas Barbeau-Grégoire , Marie-Lou Gauthier , Simon Dufour , Jean-Philippe Roy , Sébastien Buczinski , Jocelyn Dubuc
{"title":"Validity of purulent vaginal discharge, esterase, luminometry, and three bacteriological tests for diagnosing uterine infection in dairy cows using Bayesian latent class analysis","authors":"José Denis-Robichaud , Nicolas Barbeau-Grégoire , Marie-Lou Gauthier , Simon Dufour , Jean-Philippe Roy , Sébastien Buczinski , Jocelyn Dubuc","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the ability of laboratory bacterial culture, Petrifilm, Tri-Plate, luminometry, purulent vaginal discharge (PVD), and esterase to correctly identify uterine infection in dairy cows, and to assess these tests’ usefulness in different situations. We sampled dairy cows between 29 and 43 days in milk in seven farms. We considered all six tests imperfect to identify uterine infection and used Bayesian latent class analyses to estimate their sensitivity and specificity. We created ten scenarios, including tests alone, in series, or in parallel, and we calculated predictive values and misclassification cost terms (MCTs). All estimates are presented with 95 % Bayesian credibility intervals (BCI). A total of 326 uterine samples were collected. The laboratory culture had the best validity (sensitivity = 0.87, 95 % BCI = 0.77–0.97; specificity = 0.71, 95 % BCI = 0.58–0.86). The other tests had similar specificity but lower sensitivity, with PVD having the lowest sensitivity (0.05, 95 % BCI = 0.01–0.10). If treating a healthy cow was considered worse than leaving a cow with a uterine infection untreated, luminometry yielded an MCT similar to the laboratory culture. These findings highlight that the on-farm tools currently used to identify cows that could benefit from intrauterine antimicrobial treatment do not identify uterine infection accurately. While the laboratory culture was the most accurate test, it cannot easily be implemented on farms. Luminometry’s validity was good, but additional research is necessary to understand how it can be implemented to improve judicious intrauterine antimicrobial use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106521"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143738049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maurice K. Murungi , Lian F. Thomas , Nicholas Bor , Ian Masaku , Mercy Anyango , Peterkin N. Munywoki , Camille Glazer , Dishon M. Muloi , Eric M. Fèvre
{"title":"Demography of owned dogs across an East African continuum of high-low human density","authors":"Maurice K. Murungi , Lian F. Thomas , Nicholas Bor , Ian Masaku , Mercy Anyango , Peterkin N. Munywoki , Camille Glazer , Dishon M. Muloi , Eric M. Fèvre","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the demographics of domestic dogs is essential for effective disease control strategies, particularly in areas where dogs serve as reservoirs of diseases, such as rabies. In this study, conducted in a region proximate to Nairobi, Kenya, we aimed to address the lack of current data on dog demographics. This area spans a high-to-low human density continuum, providing a unique setting for examining the relationship between human and dog populations. We used a household (HH) survey approach, stratifying the area by human population density and selecting sub-locations for every 10th percentile of the population density stratum. Households were randomly selected across strata to estimate the population of owned dogs, which was then extrapolated to the county level. Additionally, a negative binomial regression model was used to analyse the factors influencing the number of dogs owned by households. We found a human-to-owned dog ratio of 3.3:1, indicating an estimated owned dog population of 421,079 (95 % CI: 408,702–424,950) in a county with 1414,022 humans in the last census, with 65 % of the households owning a mean of 2.45 dogs. Multivariable analysis revealed that the presence of a female dog had the strongest association with owning more dogs (OR = 3.08, CI: 2.71–3.50). Wealthier households (OR = 1.67, 95 % CI: 1.12–2.49), those keeping livestock (OR = 1.67, 95 % CI: 1.36–2.02), and larger households (OR = 1.05, 95 % CI: 1.03–1.07) were significantly more likely to own more dogs. These findings suggest that actual human-dog ratios may be higher than estimated in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate dog demographic data is important for dog-mediated disease and conditions control strategies due to its important logistical and financial implications for implementing targeted control initiatives to improve public health and animal welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106518"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Alexander Fonseca-Martinez , Juan Hernandez-Cuevas , Kristy Shaw , Andreia G. Arruda
{"title":"Small pig stakeholders' knowledge of foreign animal diseases: Baseline knowledge and impact of an outreach session","authors":"B. Alexander Fonseca-Martinez , Juan Hernandez-Cuevas , Kristy Shaw , Andreia G. Arruda","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106517","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence and rapid spread of Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs) pose ongoing threats to animal and human health. Specifically, the swine industry faces constant risks of disease introduction, with African Swine Fever among the foremost concerns. Despite numerous national and local initiatives aimed at supporting swine stakeholders in FAD preparedness, the focus has predominantly been on large commercial operations, neglecting small-scale stakeholders. This study aimed to assess baseline knowledge and evaluate the effectiveness of an outreach session within small swine stakeholders in the state of Ohio, United States. Utilizing pre- and post-session surveys, we measured changes in short-term knowledge levels among 31 participants across five sessions. Results indicated a significant improvement in participants' knowledge post-session regarding various aspects of FADs recognition, transmission, and outbreak response. Additionally, our analysis identified educational level as the sole factor significantly associated with higher pre-session knowledge levels. These findings highlight the potential of outreach programs designed for small-scale stakeholders to improve biosecurity practices and FAD preparedness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106517"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143698014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faustin Farison , Vitoria Régia Lima-Campêlo , Marie-Ève Paradis , Sébastien Buczinski , Gilles Fecteau , Jean-Philippe Roy , Pablo Valdes-Donoso , Simon Dufour , Juan Carlos Arango-Sabogal
{"title":"Farmers who implemented this, also implemented that: Use of association-rule-learning to improve biosecurity on dairies","authors":"Faustin Farison , Vitoria Régia Lima-Campêlo , Marie-Ève Paradis , Sébastien Buczinski , Gilles Fecteau , Jean-Philippe Roy , Pablo Valdes-Donoso , Simon Dufour , Juan Carlos Arango-Sabogal","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106516","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106516","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biosecurity practices are the cornerstone of disease prevention and control programs. In Canada, their implementation is evaluated with a Risk Assessment Questionnaire (RAQ). Association Rule Learning (ARL) – a non-supervised machine learning algorithm – is widely used in marketing for consumer segmentation based on purchase patterns. This technique may help veterinarians to recommend biosecurity practices that are more likely to be adopted by producers. In this project, we applied ARL to 3825 RAQ completed by Québec dairy producers to generate 22 million rules that identified combinations of self-reported practices frequently applied together. We retained the best 63 rules predicting the adoption of 13 biosecurity practices with a confidence ≥ 70 %. ARL is useful in studying the relationship between biosecurity practices on dairy farms. By identifying biosecurity practices more likely to be implemented by a given producer, veterinarians can provide targeted recommendations that might improve disease prevention and control programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106516"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jean-Philippe Rocheleau , Cécile Ferrouillet , Pablo Valdes Donoso , Solène Le Manac'h , Karol-Ann Henry , Edouard Martin
{"title":"Efficacy of continuous education and determinants of antimicrobials prescription behavior in companion animal veterinarians from Quebec, Canada","authors":"Jean-Philippe Rocheleau , Cécile Ferrouillet , Pablo Valdes Donoso , Solène Le Manac'h , Karol-Ann Henry , Edouard Martin","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Highly important antimicrobial use in veterinary companion animal medicine is frequent and in some cases unjustified. Establishing cautious and evidence-based prescription practices in veterinary companion animal medicine should be one of the key objectives of One Health antimicrobial stewardship initiatives. We aimed to (1) develop a training program on antimicrobial use in veterinary companion animal medicine in Quebec, Canada, (2) quantify the impact of this training on the use of highly important antimicrobials, and (3) identify the factors that could limit such an impact. A total of 54 veterinarians from 35 veterinary facilities participated in the study. Antimicrobials were identified from electronic medical records, prescription rates were calculated and a difference-in-differences estimation was used to compare prescription rates pre- and post-training in 2023, controlling for seasonal trends during the same period in 2022. Participating veterinarians prescribed on average 11.7 antimicrobial treatments per 100 consultations. Two thirds of the systemic antimicrobials prescribed by participants were antimicrobials of very high medical importance, according to Health Canada. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was the most often prescribed antimicrobial and accounted for approximately 22 % of all prescriptions. The training had a limited impact on overall prescription rates. However, a reduction of 55 % in prescription rate was observed for metronidazole, which is most often prescribed in canine patients with acute diarrhea. Interviews were conducted with 11 participating veterinarians to identify obstacles to the implementation of recommended prescription practices. The main obstacles identified were pet owner expectations, fear of therapeutic failure, lack of confidence in the recommendations and unavailability of therapeutic alternatives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106515"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra Haggerty , Emily Silva , Tracy Anderson , David Bell , Colin Mason , Katharine S. Denholm
{"title":"Identifying critical control points for colostrum contamination in first milking colostrum from Scottish dairy herds","authors":"Alexandra Haggerty , Emily Silva , Tracy Anderson , David Bell , Colin Mason , Katharine S. Denholm","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Excessive bacterial contamination (≥100,000 colony forming units [CFU]/ml total bacteria count (TBC) and ≥ 10,000 CFU/ml total coliform count [TCC]) reduces the quality of colostrum and subsequent absorption of IgG across neonatal enterocytes, leading to failure to transfer of passive immunity (FTPI). Furthermore, the presence of pathogenic bacteria can cause disease in their own right. The objectives of the study were to identify critical control points and farm risk factors to minimise colostrum contamination from Scottish dairy herds. Eleven farms in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, were enrolled and first milking colostrum was sampled at sequential control points throughout the harvest, storage and feeding process. Farmers also completed a questionnaire at enrolment detailing colostrum management practices to identify risk factors for high bacterial contamination. Samples then underwent testing to estimate TBC, TCC and Brix % (measure of total solids estimating IgG concentration). Samples collected directly from cows’ teats had a lower median TBC (4000 CFU/ml, IQR = 15,000 CFU/ml) and TCC (1850, CFU/ml, IQR = 3775 CFU/ml) than those collected from storage buckets (median TBC = 101,000 CFU/ml, IQR = 930,000 CFU/ml and median TCC = 12,000, IQR = 108,000 CFU/ml) and feeding equipment (median TBC = 410,000 CFU/ml, IQR 3230,000 CFU/ml; median TCC = 40,000, IQR = 375,000 CFU/ml). Linear regression models revealed higher bacterial contamination was associated with a larger number of buckets used between harvest and storage of colostrum; smaller size of containers used to store colostrum, method of colostrum storage (freezing), and method of teat cleaning (wet wipe). Mean teat, storage bucket and feeder Brix (%) values were 23.1 %, 22 % and 23.1 % respectively. A one-way repeated ANOVA showed no difference in Brix % between source type (F = 2(3168), p = 0.1). Brix % was negatively associated with increasing time from calving to colostrum harvest.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"239 ","pages":"Article 106514"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143670351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}