The therapy frequency of antibiotics and phenotypical resistance of Escherichia coli in calf rearing sites in Germany

Roswitha Merle; Susann Weise; Lisa Gorisek; Jorinde Baer; Caroline Robé; Anika Friese; Katharina Charlotte Jensen

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1152246

The therapy frequency of antibiotics and phenotypical resistance of Escherichia coli in calf rearing sites in Germany

Front Vet Sci. 2023 May 18:10:1152246. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1152246. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Roswitha Merle¹, Susann Weise¹, Lisa Gorisek¹, Jorinde Baer², Caroline Robé², Anika Friese², Katharina Charlotte Jensen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
² Department Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Animal and Environmental Hygiene, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Abstract

Introduction: The association between antibiotic use and the occurrence of resistant bacteria is a global health problem and is subject to enormous efforts at national and international levels. Within the scope of the study "KAbMon", the resistance situation as well as the use of antibiotics in calf rearing farms in Germany was investigated. We hypothesized that the levels of resistance are associated with certain calf keeping farm types, such as pre-weaned calf farms, animal groups, and therapy frequency.

Methods: In total, 95 calf keeping farms were visited between October 2019 and April 2021. At each farm, up to three pooled fecal samples (10 freshly released feces each) were collected. One sample was taken in the youngest calf group, another in the oldest calf group, and one in the hospital box, if available. Escherichia coli was isolated from non-selective MacConkey agar. The therapy frequency reflects the average number of treatment days per calf in a half-year, while the resistance score is the sum of the relative minimum inhibitory concentration per substance over all 10 tested substances.

Results: The 1781 isolates from 178 samples showed high resistance rates against sulfamethoxazole (82%), tetracycline (49%), and ampicillin (40%). High resistance scores were mainly found in pre-weaned calf farms (purchasing calves from 2 weeks of life) and in the youngest animals. The therapy frequency showed an almost linear relationship with the resistance scores, and the age at purchase was negatively related to the resistance score.

Discussion: The high use of antimicrobials of young calves might be associated with a high risk for infectious diseases and might indicate that the current system of crowding 14-day-old calves from different farms in one group is not optimal. Further efforts are necessary to educate and motivate the calf keepers to ensure highest levels of hygiene and management as well as animal welfare conditions and to increase animal health.

Keywords: AMR score; antibiotics use; antimicrobials; calves; therapy frequency.