This study provides strong, novel evidence that humans may introduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 into closed pig populations; it also demonstrates that stringent control and eradication measures were effective and prevented dissemination from pig farms to the general human population.

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Aims: To investigate if cattle on the same farm as sheep are a possible risk factor for stx in sheep and to determine whether or not sheep and cattle on the same farm share the same stx pool. Methods and Results: Faecal samples from sheep and cattle were screened for stx by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of these samples, 87AE6 and 64AE6% were stx positive in sheep and cattle, respectively. There was no difference in stx occurrence in sheep from farms with or without cattle. From stx positive samples, 118 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) isolates were recovered by a filter-hybridization method. Serotyping, PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that there was a distinct association between serotypes, stx profiles and animal species. Conclusions: Keeping animals together in pens, which enhances faecal-oral contact, is suggested as a possible explanation for the differences seen in stx occurrence. Sheep and cattle isolates are distinctly different in serotype and stx profile although isolated from the same farm, and are more related to isolates within the same serotype with the same stx profile than to isolates with different serotype from the same farm. Significance and Impact of Study: The study supports the animal-host relationship hypothesis suggested in other studies and indicates that the STEC sheep reservoir in Norway may not pose a serious public health risk.

SUMMARYIn Norway, no published data on seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in humans and swine exists. Serum samples from blood donors, veterinarians, swine farm workers and swine were analysed by ELISA to estimate the seroprevalence of HEV in Norway and to investigate the association between direct contact with swine and HEV seroprevalence in humans. The seroprevalence of HEV IgG antibodies was 30% (24/79) in farm workers, 13% (21/163) in veterinarians, 14% (162/1200) in blood donors and 90% (137/153) in swine. Our results show a high seroprevalence of HEV in humans and swine in Norway. HEV seroprevalence in farm workers and blood donors increased with age, and veterinarians working with swine were twice as likely to be HEV seropositive compared to other veterinarians. High HEV seroprevalence in farm workers and veterinarians working with swine support previous reports suggesting swine as a reservoir for HEV infections in humans in Europe.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) should be tackled through a One Health approach, as stated in the World Health Organization Global Action Plan on AMR. We describe the landscape of AMR surveillance in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) and underline a gap regarding veterinary medicine. Current AMR surveillance efforts are of limited help to veterinary practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve antimicrobial stewardship in animal health. We propose to establish the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance network in Veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet) to report on the AMR situation, follow AMR trends and detect emerging AMR in selected bacterial pathogens of animals. This information could be useful to advise policymakers, explore efficacy of interventions, support antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, (re-)evaluate marketing authorisations of antimicrobials, generate epidemiological cut-off values, assess risk of zoonotic AMR transmission and evaluate the burden of AMR in animal health. EARS-Vet could be integrated with other AMR monitoring systems in the animal and medical sectors to ensure a One Health approach. Herein, we present a strategy to establish EARS-Vet as a network of national surveillance systems and highlight challenges of data harmonisation and bias. Strong political commitment at national and EU/EEA levels is required for the success of EARS-Vet.