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Summary Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 30 antimicrobial agents (including the hitherto unreported antimicrobial agents doxycycline, minocycline, vanomycin, 3 quinolones and 3 combinations of antimicrobial agents) for isolates of Salmonella spp. (20), Escherichia coli (17), Klebsiella spp. (8), Proteus spp. (7), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7), Actinobacillus equuli (5), Rhodococcus equi (4), Streptococcus zooepidemicus (23), Streptococcus equisimilis (6), Streptococcus equi (4), coagulase‐positive Staphylococcus spp. (20) and Taylorella equigenitalis (19) were determined using the agar dilution method. All isolates were of equine origin. MICs were compared with recommended MIC breakpoints. The results indicate that, for some of the pathogenic bacteria evaluated, susceptibility testing of isolates from the individual patient is essential to determine an appropriate antimicrobial treatment.

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The aim was to obtain data regarding the effects of 4 freestall bedding materials (i.e., box compost, sand, horse manure, and foam mattresses) on cow comfort and risks for lameness and mastitis. The comfort of freestalls was measured by analyzing the way cows entered the stalls, the duration and smoothness of the descent movement, and the duration of the lying bout. The cleanliness of the cows was evaluated on 3 different body parts: (1) udder, (2) flank, and (3) lower rear legs, and the bacteriological counts of the bedding materials were determined. The combination of the cleanliness of the cows and the bacteriological count of the bedding material provided an estimate of the risk to which dairy cows are exposed in terms of intramammary infections. The results of the hock assessment revealed that the percentage of cows with healthy hocks was lower (20.5 ± 6.7), the percentage of cows with both damaged and swollen hocks was higher (26.8 ± 3.2), and the severity of the damaged hock was higher (2.32 ± 0.17) on farms using foam mattresses compared with deep litter materials [i.e., box compost (64.0 ± 10.4, 3.5 ± 4.7, 1.85 ± 0.23, respectively), sand (54.6 ± 8.2, 2.0 ± 2.8, 1.91 ± 0.09, respectively), and horse manure (54.6 ± 4.5, 5.5 ± 5.4, 1.85 ± 0.17, respectively)]. In addition, cows needed more time to lie down (140.2 ± 84.2s) on farms using foam mattresses compared with the deep litter materials sand and horse manure (sand: 50.1 ± 31.6s, horse manure: 32.9 ± 0.8s). Furthermore, the duration of the lying bout was shorter (47.9 ± 7.4 min) on farms using foam mattresses compared to sand (92.0 ± 12.9 min). These results indicate that deep litter materials provide a more comfortable lying surface compared with foam mattresses. The 3 deep litter bedding materials differed in relation to each other in terms of comfort and their estimate of risk to which cows were exposed in terms of intramammary infections [box compost: 17.8 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 19.4/g; sand: 1.2 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 1.6/g; horse manure: 110.5 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 86.3/g]. Box compost had a low gram-negative bacterial count compared with horse manure, and was associated with less hock injury compared with foam mattresses, but did not improve lying behavior (lying descent duration: 75.6 ± 38.8s, lying bout duration: 46.1 ± 18.5 min). Overall, sand provided the best results, with a comfortable lying surface and a low bacterial count.

We studied serotypes and phage types of Salmonella strains isolated from humans and animals in The Netherlands over the period 1984 to 2001. All human strains (n ‫؍‬ 59,168) were clinical isolates. The animal strains (n ‫؍‬ 65,567) were from clinical and nonclinical infections. All isolates were serotyped, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and serovar Enteritidis strains were further phage typed. The most prevalent serotypes were as follows: in humans, serovars Typhimurium and Enteritidis; in cattle, serovars Typhimurium and Dublin; in pigs, serovar Typhimurium; and in chickens, serovars Enteritidis, Infantis, and Typhimurium. Serovar Enteritidis phage type 4 (pt 4) was the most common phage type in humans and chickens. Serovar Typhimurium pt 510 was the most prevalent serovar Typhimurium phage type in humans and pigs, pt 200 was the most prevalent serovar Typhimurium phage type in cattle, and pt 150 was the most prevalent serovar Typhimurium phage type in chickens. Analysis of the distribution of sero-and phage types during the study period indicated that types shifted over time in humans and animals. Serovar Typhimurium DT 104 emerged in 1991 in humans, cattle, pigs, and chickens and became the most common serovar Typhimurium phage type in 2001. In general, similar sero-and phage types were found in humans and animals, although distinct types were more common in animals. Between the animal species, the sero-and phage type distributions varied considerably.

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