title: Cross-sectional study on antibiotic usage in pigs in Germany.
abstract: To be able to analyze the relationship between the level of resistance and the use of antimicrobials, it is necessary to collect detailed data on antimicrobial usage. For this reason, data on antimicrobial use on 495 pig farms from entire Germany were collected and analyzed. In Germany, each application and dispensing of medicines to food-producing animals is documented in detail obligatorily by the veterinarian. This information was collected retrospectively for the year 2011. The analyses undertook separate examinations on the age groups sow, piglet, weaner and fattening pig; both the route of administration and indication per active ingredient, and active ingredient class, were evaluated. In total, 20,374 kg of antimicrobial substances were used in the study population. Tetracyclines were used in highest amounts, followed by beta-lactams, trimethoprim-sulfonamides and macrolides. Concerning the frequency of using an active substance per animal, polypeptides were most commonly administered. In all age groups, respiratory infections were the main indication for using antimicrobials, followed by intestinal diseases in piglets, weaners and fattening pigs and diseases of reproductive organs in sows. Over a period of 100 days, the median number of treatment days with one antimicrobial substance for piglets was 15 days, for weaners about 6 days, for fattening pigs about 4 days and for sows about 1 day. A multifactorial ANOVA was conducted to investigate which factors are associated with the treatment frequency. The factors "veterinarian" and "age group" were related to the treatment frequency, just as the interaction between "veterinarian" and "farm size" as well as the interaction between "veterinarian" and "age group".
authors.affiliation: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, WHO-Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Rennings
authors.affiliation: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, WHO-Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Münchhausen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ottilie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, WHO-Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, WHO-Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Roswitha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Merle
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Toxicology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Walther
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Honscha
authors.affiliation: Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Käsbohrer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, WHO-Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kreienbrock
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule / Q000662:veterinary*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D018942:Macrolides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D060737:Reproductive Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013413:Sulfadoxine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013552:Swine; D013754:Tetracyclines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047090:beta-Lactams / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D018942:Macrolides; D013754:Tetracyclines; D047090:beta-Lactams; C000301:trimethoprim, sulfadoxine drug combination; D013413:Sulfadoxine; D014295:Trimethoprim