Indications and patterns of therapeutic use of antimicrobial agents in the Danish pig production from 2002 to 2008

Abstract

This study describes trends in the use and indications for prescriptions of antimicrobial agents in the Danish pig production in the period between 2002 and 2008 and is the first description of a complete prescription pattern for one animal species in an entire country. Data on all prescription for pigs in Denmark were retrieved from the VetStat database. Antimicrobial use was measured in defined animal daily doses (ADD) for the specific age-group and in ADD(kg) as a measure of amounts used. According to the results of the ADD(kg) data, 26% of all antimicrobials were prescribed for sows, 38% for weaner pigs, and 33% for finisher pigs. In weaner and finisher pigs, gastrointestinal infections accounted for 74-83% and 56-65% of the use, while respiratory infections accounted for 9-17% and 18-24%, respectively. From 2002 to 2008, prescription for respiratory disease increased by 145% for sows/piglets, by 141% for weaning pigs, and by 81% for finisher pig. The most commonly used class of antibiotics was tetracycline for all age-groups, replacing the previously used macrolide/lincosamide group. The use of pleuromutilin increased in 2008 to the level of macrolides. In sow/piglets, the second most used class was penicillins. The switch in choice of antimicrobial classes prescribed seems to be related primarily to changes in the price of the drugs.

Risk Factors for Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli in Pigs Receiving Oral Antimicrobial Treatment: A Systematic Review

“…19,24,25 This higher AMR in young pigs may be related to the similarly higher disease incidence and AMU found in younger pigs. 11,29,34 Regarding biosecurity-related risk factors, inside pen hygiene was associated with AMR in the same way that poor hygiene was linked with lower AMR occurrence. 25 The opposite is perhaps to be expected.…”

Post weaning diarrhea in pigs: risk factors and non-colistin-based control strategies

“…However, current data on the total quantities of colistin used in pigs worldwide have been difficult to obtain accurately [70]. Some data, for example in Denmark, indicate that the use of colistin for the treatment of sows increased between 2002 and 2008 [72]. Of the two forms of colistin commercially available, colistin sulfate (CS) and colistin methanesulphonate sodium (CMS), and only CS is approved in pig production in some countries [18].…”

Guidance on the Selection of Appropriate Indicators for Quantification of Antimicrobial Usage in Humans and Animals

“…While most of the evaluations of intervention programmes aim at quantifying the reduction in the amount of antimicrobials used, some also assess qualitatively the evolution of antimicrobial treatment practices, for example assessing medical doctors’ compliance with guidelines on good antimicrobial prescription practices (Ashiru‐Oredope et al., ). Because the need for antimicrobial treatments is closely related to the disease situation, the monitoring of antimicrobial usage over time can also provide useful information on the temporal evolution of the health situation, for example following the introduction of new vaccines or the emergence of new diseases, for example the chronic wasting disease in pigs that emerged in Europe in the 1990s (Jensen et al., ).…”