Abstract
Veterinary antimicrobial consumption patterns vary considerably across Europe. These differences are not only limited to the total amount consumed but are also observed with regards to the relative proportion of the various antimicrobial classes used. Currently, most of the data on veterinary antimicrobials are reported at sales level without any information on the consumption by different animal species. This hinders a proper comparison of antimicrobial consumption at the species level between countries. However, it is imperative to improve our understanding on antimicrobial usage patterns at the species level, as well as on the drivers contributing to those differences. This will allow for development of tailored interventions with the lowest possible risk for human health, while ensuring effective treatment of diseased livestock. An important step to attain such an objective is to perform detailed comparisons of the antimicrobial consumption in each species between countries. We compared antimicrobial consumption estimates for cattle and pigs in Switzerland and Denmark, in order to distinguish species-specific patterns and trends in consumption from 2007 to 2013. Swiss data were obtained from a previous study that assessed methodologies to stratify antimicrobial sales per species; Danish antimicrobial consumption estimates were assembled from Danish Integrated Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Research Programme reports. A decrease in antimicrobial consumption in milligrams per kilogram of biomass was observed for both countries (4.5% in Denmark and 34.7% in Switzerland) when comparing 2013 to 2007. For pigs and cattle, the overall consumption per kilogram of biomass of most antimicrobial classes was higher in Switzerland than in Denmark. Large variations in the relative consumption of different antimicrobial classes were also evident. Sulfonamides/trimethoprim and tetracyclines were consumed in a higher proportion in Switzerland than in Denmark, whereas the relative consumption of penicillins was higher in Denmark. The differences observed in veterinary antimicrobial consumption are not solely related to animal demographic characteristics in these two countries. Other factors, such as the level of biosecurity and farming practices, veterinarians and farmers’ education, or governmental/industry programs put in place might also partly explain these variations. These differences should be taken into account when aiming to implement targeted interventions to reduce antimicrobial consumption.
Highlights
Considerable differences in veterinary antimicrobial sales have been observed across European countries
In Denmark, antimicrobial consumption in cattle was lower and varied over the study period between a maximum of 37.6 mg/BM in 2009 and a minimum of 29.8 mg/BM in 2013, which corresponds to a reduction of 20.8% (Figure 1)
When compared to cattle, a steeper decrease (31.5%) of antimicrobial consumption was observed in Switzerland for pigs, from a maximum of 110.9 [54.0–201.3] mg/BM in 2007 to a minimum of 75.9 [34.0–143.8] mg/BM in 2013
Summary
Considerable differences in veterinary antimicrobial sales have been observed across European countries. The reports from the European Surveillance on Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) project provide an initial basis for comparing antimicrobial sales between European countries [1,2,3,4,5]. They do not include data on consumption at the species level, but only sales data normalized to biomass of foodproducing animals. When assessing overall sales data, it should be noted that animal demographics are heterogeneous among European countries This could partly explain some of the variations observed in the total antimicrobial sales [6]. Overall sales do not allow the implementation of benchmarking strategies, targeted approaches to reduce antimicrobial consumption are not feasible
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
