Abstract
In 2011, Dutch animal production sectors started recording veterinary antimicrobial consumption. These data are used by the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority to create transparency in and define benchmark indicators for veterinary consumption of antimicrobials. This paper presents the results of sector wide consumption of antimicrobials, in the form of prescriptions or deliveries, for all pig, veal calf, and broiler farms. Data were used to calculate animal defined daily dosages per year (ADDD/Y) per pig or veal calf farm. For broiler farms, number of animal treatment days per year was calculated. Furthermore, data were used to calculate the consumption of specific antimicrobial classes per administration route per pig or veal calf farm. The distribution of antimicrobial consumption per farm varied greatly within and between farm categories. All categories, except for rosé starter farms, showed a highly right skewed distribution with a long tail. Median ADDD/Y values varied from 1.2 ADDD/Y for rosé finisher farms to 83.2 ADDD/Y for rosé starter farms, with 28.6 ADDD/Y for white veal calf farms. Median consumption in pig farms was 9.3 ADDD/Y for production pig farms and 3.0 ADDD/Y for slaughter pig farms. Median consumption in broiler farms was 20.9 ATD/Y. Regarding specific antimicrobial classes, fluoroquinolones were mainly used on veal calf farms, but in low quantities: P75 range was 0 – 0.99 ADDD/Y, and 0 – 0.04 ADDD/Y in pig farms. The P75 range for 3rd/4th-generation cephalosporins was 0 – 0.07 ADDD/Y for veal calf farms, and 0 – 0.1 ADDD/Y for pig farms. The insights obtained from these results, and the full transparency obtained by monitoring antimicrobial consumption per farm, will help reduce antimicrobial consumption and endorse antimicrobial stewardship. The wide and skewed distribution in consumption has important practical and methodological implications for benchmarking, surveillance and future analysis of trends.
Highlights
During the first decade of the 21st century, sales of antimicrobials for veterinary consumption strongly increased in the Netherlands. [1] This is partially attributed to the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters in the European Union, which was fully effective in 2006
[7] There is a strict infection control policy in place in most of the Dutch hospitals, intended to minimize prevalence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens in Dutch health care facilities. This policy did result in limitation of MRSA prevalence, extendedspectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae prevalence in the Netherlands is equivalent to most other EU countries participating in EARSS
[14] It is still unclear to what extent antimicrobial resistant bacteria in livestock have an impact on the occurrence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in humans, or how often the reverse is the case, but a recent study showed genetic similarities between resistant isolates found in chicken meat and humans
Summary
During the first decade of the 21st century, sales of antimicrobials for veterinary consumption strongly increased in the Netherlands. [1] This is partially attributed to the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters in the European Union, which was fully effective in 2006. [7] There is a strict infection control policy in place in most of the Dutch hospitals, intended to minimize prevalence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens in Dutch health care facilities. This policy did result in limitation of MRSA prevalence, extendedspectrum b-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae prevalence in the Netherlands is equivalent to most other EU countries participating in EARSS. The SDa (the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority), was formed in 2010 with the main purpose of creating transparency in and setting benchmark indicators for consumption of antimicrobials in livestock production, based on the consumption data as presented in the present study. The SDa monitors, analyses, and reports data on consumption of antimicrobials on a yearly basis, making trends in consumption patterns in the various sectors transparent
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