Epidemiology and Infection
- Epidemiology and Infection / Volume 136 / Issue 01 / January 2008, pp 92-107
- Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095026880700814X (About DOI), Published online: 05 March 2007
Original Papers
The effect of discontinued use of antimicrobial growth promoters on the risk of therapeutic antibiotic treatment in Danish farrow-to-finish pig farms
H. VIGREa1 c1, P. B. LARSENa1, M. ANDREASENa1, J. CHRISTENSENa1 and S. E. JORSALa1
a1 National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
SUMMARY
This study estimated the effect of discontinued use of antimicrobial growth promoters (duAGPs) on the risk of antibiotic treatment for diarrhoea, arthritis, pneumonia, unthriving and miscellaneous disorders in Danish pig farms. The estimation was done in a case-crossover study comparing: (1) the proportion of days per farm where treatment was performed (PDT) and (2) the proportion of pigs treated per day per farm at days where treatment was performed (PPT) before and after duAGPs at 68 farrow-to-finish farms. The farms were selected using a two-stage (veterinarian/farm) convenience sampling. On average, during the first year after duAGPs there was a significant increase in the risk of antibiotic treatment for diarrhoea (PDT: OR 2·5, 95% CI 1·7–3·8; PPT: OR 1·6, 95% CI 1·1–2·2). However, the effect varied among farms – some farms experienced substantial problems, while others experienced few problems after duAGPs. No effect was identified for the risk of treatment for other diseases.
(Accepted January 31 2007)
(Online publication March 05 2007)
Correspondence:
c1 Author for correspondence: Dr H. Vigre, National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Bülowsvej 27, DK-1790 Copenhagen V, Denmark. (Email: hvi@vet.dtu.dk)
