The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey
Neonatal calves are commonly affected by diarrhea caused by different pathogens, but not always bacteria. Yet, antibiotics are routinely used as a treatment to an unknown extent. It was our goal to survey antibiotic use for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea in different countries and to identi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/8/910 |
| _version_ | 1797524886145466368 |
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| author | Cassandra Eibl Ricardo Bexiga Lorenzo Viora Hugues Guyot José Félix Johanna Wilms Alexander Tichy Alexandra Hund |
| author_facet | Cassandra Eibl Ricardo Bexiga Lorenzo Viora Hugues Guyot José Félix Johanna Wilms Alexander Tichy Alexandra Hund |
| author_sort | Cassandra Eibl |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neonatal calves are commonly affected by diarrhea caused by different pathogens, but not always bacteria. Yet, antibiotics are routinely used as a treatment to an unknown extent. It was our goal to survey antibiotic use for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea in different countries and to identify influencing factors. A total of 873 farmers and veterinarians in Austria, Belgium, Portugal, and Scotland participated in a voluntary online survey. The data were analyzed using classification and regression tree analyses and chi<sup>2</sup> tests. Overall, 52.5% of the participants stated that they use antibiotics when treating neonatal calf diarrhea. Of those, 27% use them always, and 45% use highest priority critically important antibiotics. The most important factor differentiating antibiotic use practices was the country the participants were from, which could be due to regulatory differences between the countries. All antibiotic products stated were licensed for use in cattle, but several were not licensed for the treatment of diarrhea in calves. Our study shows that there is an urgent need for more scientific evidence to define best practices for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea. Furthermore, consensual criteria for antibiotic therapy must be defined, and targeted training for farmers and veterinarians must be provided. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:03:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ddf17be9c75483a9db8e4225b91739b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T09:03:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ddf17be9c75483a9db8e4225b91739b2023-11-22T06:33:07ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822021-07-0110891010.3390/antibiotics10080910The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A SurveyCassandra Eibl0Ricardo Bexiga1Lorenzo Viora2Hugues Guyot3José Félix4Johanna Wilms5Alexander Tichy6Alexandra Hund7University Clinic for Ruminants, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaCentro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, PortugalSchool of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1GH, UKClinical Department of Production Animals, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaCentro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, PortugalTierarztpraxis Geisenhausen, 84144 Geisenhausen, GermanyPlatform Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, Department for Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaUniversity Clinic for Ruminants, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaNeonatal calves are commonly affected by diarrhea caused by different pathogens, but not always bacteria. Yet, antibiotics are routinely used as a treatment to an unknown extent. It was our goal to survey antibiotic use for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea in different countries and to identify influencing factors. A total of 873 farmers and veterinarians in Austria, Belgium, Portugal, and Scotland participated in a voluntary online survey. The data were analyzed using classification and regression tree analyses and chi<sup>2</sup> tests. Overall, 52.5% of the participants stated that they use antibiotics when treating neonatal calf diarrhea. Of those, 27% use them always, and 45% use highest priority critically important antibiotics. The most important factor differentiating antibiotic use practices was the country the participants were from, which could be due to regulatory differences between the countries. All antibiotic products stated were licensed for use in cattle, but several were not licensed for the treatment of diarrhea in calves. Our study shows that there is an urgent need for more scientific evidence to define best practices for the treatment of neonatal calf diarrhea. Furthermore, consensual criteria for antibiotic therapy must be defined, and targeted training for farmers and veterinarians must be provided.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/8/910neonatal calf diarrheasurveyantibioticsHPCIA |
| spellingShingle | Cassandra Eibl Ricardo Bexiga Lorenzo Viora Hugues Guyot José Félix Johanna Wilms Alexander Tichy Alexandra Hund The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey Antibiotics neonatal calf diarrhea survey antibiotics HPCIA |
| title | The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey |
| title_full | The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey |
| title_fullStr | The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey |
| title_short | The Antibiotic Treatment of Calf Diarrhea in Four European Countries: A Survey |
| title_sort | antibiotic treatment of calf diarrhea in four european countries a survey |
| topic | neonatal calf diarrhea survey antibiotics HPCIA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/8/910 |
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