Abstract
BackgroundCross-contamination of feed with low concentrations of antimicrobials can occur at production, transport and/or farm level. Concerns are rising about possible effects of this contaminated feed on resistance selection in the intestinal microbiota. Therefore, an experiment with pigs was set up, in which intestinal and fecal concentrations of chlortetracycline (CTC), doxycycline (DOX) and sulfadiazine-trimethoprim (SDZ-TRIM) were determined after administration of feed containing a 3 % carry-over level of these antimicrobials.ResultsThe poor oral bioavailability of tetracyclines resulted in rather high concentrations in cecal and colonic content and feces at steady-state conditions. A mean concentration of 10 mg/kg CTC and 4 mg/kg DOX in the feces was reached, which is higher than concentrations that were shown to cause resistance selection. On the other hand, lower mean levels of SDZ (0.7 mg/kg) and TRIM (< limit of detection of 0.016 mg/kg) were found in the feces, corresponding with the high oral bioavailability of SDZ and TRIM in pigs.ConclusionsThe relation between the oral bioavailability and intestinal concentrations of the tested antimicrobials, may be of help in assessing the risks of cross-contaminated feed. However, future research is needed to confirm our results and to evaluate the effects of these detected concentrations on resistance selection in the intestinal microbiota of pigs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0803-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Cross-contamination of feed with low concentrations of antimicrobials can occur at production, transport and/or farm level
Concentrations in experimental feed Ten samples of each batch of experimental feed were analyzed to assess if the target concentrations (3 % of the maximum recommended dose (MRD)) were achieved
The aim of this study was to determine which concentrations of CTC, DOX, SDZ and TRIM could be found in intestinal content and feces of pigs when feed containing a 3 % carry-over concentration was administered
Summary
Cross-contamination of feed with low concentrations of antimicrobials can occur at production, transport and/or farm level. Concerns are rising about possible effects of this contaminated feed on resistance selection in the intestinal microbiota. Group administration of veterinary drugs through feed and drinking water is frequently applied in the pig industry. Antimicrobials are often administered to pigs by mixing the feed with an oral powder or premix formulation [1,2,3]. Peeters et al BMC Veterinary Research (2016) 12:209 treatment vary considerably between the individual countries. In some countries, such as Germany, Luxembourg, Estonia and Denmark, it seems that oral powders and solutions are preferred over premix formulations, whereas the opposite applies for countries like Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Cyprus and the UK [1]. In this study we focus on medicated feed produced in feed mills, and on premix formulations
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