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Antibiotic Use in Farms and Its Relation to Husbandry Practices...
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Antibiotic Use in Farms and Its Relation to Husbandry Practices and Animal Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 4233

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nancy De Briyne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), Rue Victor Oudart 7, 1030 Brussels, Belgium
Interests: animal welfare science; ethics and law; antimicrobial resistance; veterinary medicinal products; veterinary profession

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Prudent and responsible antibiotic use and animal welfare are key issues today. We invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue by exploring the correlation between animal welfare, husbandry practices, and prudent and responsible antibiotic use in farm settings. This Special Issue aims to shed light on the complex relationship between antibiotic usage, animal welfare, and identify improved husbandry practices.

This Special Issue seeks to encompass a wide range of studies, including empirical research, systematic reviews, and theoretical papers. We aim to delve into various aspects, such as the identification of beneficial husbandry practices on animal health and welfare for all farmed species, the relationship between stress and susceptibility to infections, and how antibiotic use can be reduced without negatively impacting animal welfare. Additionally, this Special Issue will consider research on the perspectives of farmers, veterinarians, and all food chain actors. By fostering this research, we aim to provide valuable insights that will inform evidence-based decision-making to promote sustainable and ethical agricultural practices which will both benefit the welfare of farm animals and reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. These papers will supplement the existing literature by offering new perspectives, empirical evidence, and potential solutions for addressing these societal and highly relevant topics.

Dr. Nancy De Briyne
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal welfare
  • AMR
  • antibiotic resistance
  • husbandry practices
  • farm animals
  • livestock
  • animal well-being
  • ethical farming

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 952 KiB  
Article
Conventionally Reared Wallon Meat Lambs Carry Transiently Multi-Drug-Resistant Escherichia coli with Reduced Sensitivity to Colistin Before Slaughter
by Delphine Dragon, Wiebke Jansen, Helene Dumont, Laetitia Wiggers, Damien Coupeau, Marc Saulmont, Bernard Taminiau, Benoit Muylkens and Georges Daube
Animals 2024, 14(20), 3038; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14203038 - 21 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1235
Abstract
Major efforts have been made to reduce the use of colistin in livestock since the discovery of the plasmid-borne mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene in E. coli a decade ago, to curb the burden of its potential transmission to other bacterial [...] Read more.
Major efforts have been made to reduce the use of colistin in livestock since the discovery of the plasmid-borne mobile colistin resistance (mcr) gene in E. coli a decade ago, to curb the burden of its potential transmission to other bacterial species, spread between animals, humans and the environment. This study explored the longitudinal prevalence and characteristics of colistin-resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBL) E. coli via in vivo fecal and ex vivo carcass swabs from two batches of conventional indoor and organic outdoor Wallon meat sheep from birth to slaughter in 2020 and 2021. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing via broth microdilution revealed that n = 16/109 (15%) E. coli isolates from conventional meat lamb fecal samples had a reduced colistin sensitivity (MIC = 0.5 μg/mL) and thereof, n = 9/109 (8%) were multi-drug-resistant E. coli, while no resistant isolates were recovered from their carcasses. Sequencing revealed causative pmrB genes, indicating that the reduced sensitivity to colistin was not plasmid-borne. While the sample size was small (n = 32), no colistin-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli were isolated from the organic meat sheep and their carcasses, potentially due to the different husbandry conditions. Prudent and judicious antimicrobial use and strict slaughter hygiene remain imperative for effective risk management to protect consumers in a sustainable One Health approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Use in Farms and Its Relation to Husbandry Practices and Animal Welfare)
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17 pages, 970 KiB  
Article
Multi-Criteria Evaluation Model of Management for Weaned Piglets and Its Relations with Farm Performance and Veterinary Medicine Consumption
by Santos Sanz-Fernández, Cipriano Díaz-Gaona, Carmen Borge, Raquel Quintanilla and Vicente Rodríguez-Estévez
Animals 2023, 13(22), 3508; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13223508 - 14 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2395
Abstract
Weaned piglets, being immature, demand careful handling to mitigate post-weaning stress in order to avoid immunosuppression and the use of antimicrobials to palliate the effects of disease outbreaks due to poor management. The objective of this work is to design a quick scan [...] Read more.
Weaned piglets, being immature, demand careful handling to mitigate post-weaning stress in order to avoid immunosuppression and the use of antimicrobials to palliate the effects of disease outbreaks due to poor management. The objective of this work is to design a quick scan calculator or multi-criteria evaluation model of management for weaned piglets, founded on 10 critical indices covering post-weaning management aspects based on hygienic measures and management of facilities and animals. These include pre-weaning handling, batch management, biosecurity, water management, feed management, health program, stockmen training, temperature, ventilation, and floor conditions and density to relate handling and hygiene practices with farm performance and the consumption of veterinary medication. Each index carries a maximum score of ten, with evaluations derived from different management factors that make up each index (from three to eight factors were evaluated per index). Their cumulative score reflects the degree of adequacy of on-farm management. Therefore, a perfectly managed farm would achieve 100 points. The calculator underwent testing on 23 intensive farms with a total population of close to 16,000 sows and more than 400,000 weaned piglets, revealing the highest mean scores in floor conditions and density (8.03 out of 10) and pre-weaning handling and health programs (6.87 and 6.28, respectively). Conversely, the lowest scores corresponded to temperature, ventilation, water management, and stockmen training (4.08, 4.32, 4.81, and 4.93, respectively). The assessed farms averaged a global score of 56.12 out of 100 (from 37.65 to 76.76). The calculator’s global score correlated with key post-weaning productivity and piglet health indicators, such as the feed conversion ratio, mortality rate, and piglet production cost, with r values of −0.442, −0.437, and −0.435, respectively (p < 0.05). Additionally, it negatively correlated with medication costs per piglet (r = −0.414; p < 0.05) and positively with annual farm productivity (r = 0.592; p < 0.01). To enhance management, hygiene, and prevention, farms should prioritize addressing indices with the lowest scores, thereby reducing medication consumption and enhancing productivity and health outcomes. Additionally, this quick scan calculator can be used for benchmarking purposes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Use in Farms and Its Relation to Husbandry Practices and Animal Welfare)
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