Microbiological quality of mink feed raw materials and feed production area

Lyhs, Ulrike; Frandsen, Henrik Lauritz; Andersen, Birgitte; Nonnemann, Bettina; Hjulsager, Charlotte Kristiane; Pedersen, Karl; Chriél, Mariann

doi:10.1186/s13028-019-0489-6

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Danish farmed mink have previously tested positive for T. gondii antibodies (3.0%) [18], as have farmed mink from the United States [16,17], Poland (13.9%) [28] and China (8.6%) [29]. However, based on this study T. gondii infections in Danish farmed mink are likely absent, probably due the use of pre-treated (frozen, heated or acid treated) commercially produced mink feed [30] and thus if T. gondii tissue cysts are present they are inactivated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium in Feral and Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison) in Denmark

et al. 2021

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Purpose To investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in farmed and feral mink in Denmark. Methods We examined meat juice from 235 feral mink and 306 farmed mink for T. gondii antibodies, and faecal samples from 113 feral mink and 166 farmed mink for Cryptosporidium oocyst excretion. Meat juice was analysed using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and oocyst excretion was identified by a modified Ziehl-Neelsen method. Results All farmed mink tested sero-negative, while 53.6% of feral mink were T. gondii sero-positive. The probability of being sero-positive for T. gondii was not associated with recent escapes from farms (p = 0.468), but was significantly higher for male feral mink (64.2%) than female feral mink (42.5%) (p = 0.0008). Only one feral mink and four farmed mink (2.4%) excreted Cryptosporidium oocysts. Conclusion Farmed mink were all T. gondii sero-negative, whereas approximately half the feral mink were sero-positive. Cryptosporidium prevalence in farmed and feral mink were low. Overall, the public health risk of transmission of these two parasites via mink in Denmark is low.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium in Feral and Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison) in Denmark

et al. 2021

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“…Danish farm mink are fed with a commercially produced wet feed, consisting of a mix of animal by-products and slaughter offal e.g. by-products from the fishing and meat industries and plant origin such as corn gluten meal, soybean oil and extruded cereals 20 . There may be high bacterial counts in some by-products used in mink feed, including fish by-products, slaughterhouse by-products and unpreserved slaughter blood 21 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There may be high bacterial counts in some by-products used in mink feed, including fish by-products, slaughterhouse by-products and unpreserved slaughter blood 21 . The ready-to-eat feed may contain harmless bacterial species including some types of clostridia 20 , which may contribute to the intestinal microbiota, as well as potentially pathogenic or toxigenic bacteria, originating from contaminated raw materials 22,23 . Mink dams or kits were treated with amoxicillin by intramuscular injection, as opposed to oral administration through feed or water, to ensure correct dosing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The microbiota of farmed mink (Neovison vison) follows a successional development and is affected by early life antibiotic exposure

Bahl

Honoré

Skønager

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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On many mink farms, antibiotics are used extensively during the lactation period to reduce the prevalence and severity of pre-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) in mink kits (also referred to as greasy kit syndrome). Concerns have been raised, that routine treatment of PWD with antibiotics could affect the natural successional development of the gut microbiota, which may have long lasting consequences. Here we investigated the effects of early life antibiotic treatment administered for 1 week (postnatal days 13–20). Two routes of antibiotic administration were compared to a non-treated control group (CTR, n = 24). Routes of administration included indirect treatment, through the milk from dams receiving antibiotics by intramuscular administration (ABX_D, n = 24) and direct treatment by intramuscular administration to the kits (ABX_K, n = 24). A tendency for slightly increased weight at termination (Day 205) was observed in the ABX_K group. The gut microbiota composition was profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing at eight time points between Day 7 and Day 205. A clear successional development of the gut microbiota composition was observed and both treatment regimens caused detectable changes in the gut microbiota until at least eight days after treatment ceased. At termination, a significant positive correlation was identified between microbial diversity and animal weight.

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“…The young that are desired for breeding are held over for the next breeding season. Farm mink are usually fed with a commercially produced wet feed, consisting of a mix of animal by-products and slaughter offal, e.g., by-products from the fishing and meat industries and plant origin, such as corn gluten meal, soybean oil, and extruded cereals ( Lyhs et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Ecology Of Mink Worldwidementioning

confidence: 99%

Mink, SARS-CoV-2, and the Human-Animal Interface

et al. 2021

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Mink are small carnivores of the Mustelidae family. The American mink is the most common and was imported to Europe, Asia, and Latin America for breeding, as its fur is very popular. Denmark, the Netherlands, and China are the biggest producers of mink. Mink farms with a high population density in very small areas and a low level of genetic heterogeneity are places conducive to contagion. The mink’s receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is very similar to that of humans. Experimental models have shown the susceptibility of the ferret, another mustelid, to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to transmit it to other ferrets. On April 23, 2020, for the first time, an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a mink farm was reported in the Netherlands. Since then, COVID-19 has reached numerous mink farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, United States, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and Canada. Not only do mink become infected from each other, but also they are capable of infecting humans, including with virus variants that have mutated in mink. Human infection with variant mink viruses with spike mutations led to the culling in Denmark of all mink in the country. Several animals can be infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, anthropo-zoonotic outbreaks have only been reported in mink farms. The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in mink farms raises questions regarding their potential role at the onset of the pandemic and the impact of mutants on viral fitness, contagiousness, pathogenicity, re-infections with different mutants, immunotherapy, and vaccine efficacy.

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Microbiological quality of mink feed raw materials and feed production area

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium in Feral and Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison) in Denmark

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium in Feral and Farmed American Mink (Neovison vison) in Denmark

The microbiota of farmed mink (Neovison vison) follows a successional development and is affected by early life antibiotic exposure

Mink, SARS-CoV-2, and the Human-Animal Interface

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