Understanding stewardship

Associations with treatment thresholds for antimicrobial use among dairy calf producers

Authors

  • G. G. Habing Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • C. Djordjevic Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • G. Schuenemann Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
  • J. Lakritz Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20163496

Keywords:

Calf-raising, intestinal flora, animal population, antimicrobial, resistant pathogen, diarrhea, herd-level predictors

Abstract

Calf-raising operations provide a unique microbial niche where immature intestinal flora, dense animal populations, and frequent application of antimicrobials may facilitate the emergence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens. In the US, producers report that 18% of calves receive an antimicrobial for diarrhea prior to weaning, often with antimicrobials designated as "critically important" to human medicine. The overall objective for this research was to understand the decision criteria for antimicrobial use for calf diarrhea. We hypothesized that selective antimicrobial use is associated with herd-level predictors, including the presence of veterinarian-written treatment protocols and producer attitudes about the impact of antimicrobial use in livestock.

Cover image of the 49th Conference Proceedings: An image of a herd of Angus cattle grazing in a field at dusk. Yellow background.

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Published

2016-09-15

Issue

2016

Section

Research Summaries 4

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