Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period the target audiences reached in the USA include: dairy farmers, veterinarians, researchers (including in antimicrobial resistance, epidemiology, mathematics, veterinary medicine, animal science, microbiology, economy, and genetics), graduate students (PhD and DVM), extension specialists, consumers of dairy products, and USDA officials. Also, through presentations at an international conference we also reached an international community of researchers working on advancing responsible use of antibiotics in food animals. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The following training opportunities have been provided during the reporting period. Dr. Ivanek has mentored Hannah Padda (DVM student trainee); Sebastian Llanos-Soto (DVM, PhD student); as well as Drs. Ece Bulut and Christopher Henry (postdoctoral associates) in epidemiology and mathematical modeling. Dr. Moroni advised Dr. Ece Bulut, Hannah Padda and Sebastian Llanos-Soto in cattle health and management. In terms of professional development supported by this grant, these mentees had opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills (i) through attending relevant meetings, workshops and courses as well as (ii) through proposal writing, peer-mentoring and teaching. Llanos-Soto gave poster presentations at (i) the Annual Workshop of the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA) and the International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals, in the Netherlands. Llanos-Soto also had an opportunity to write a successful student research proposal awarded by the CIDA "Research Innovation Fund"; this award allowed expanding of our S. Dublin model in a heifer raising operation with a preliminary economic analysis and web-based digital tool for farmers. Llanos-Soto and Dr. Bulut participated in the Wellcome Genome Campus (WGC) Advanced Course: Mathematical Models for Infectious Disease Dynamics (Virtual) 8th - 19th March 2021 to learn how to build models of infectious disease dynamics using the programming software packages R and RStudio. Dr. Henry received an opportunity to train and mentor a graduate student in modeling of infection transmission dynamics in R statistical computing programming language. Additionally, he received the opportunity to extend his knowledge of R programming techniques to include (i) profiling code with Rprof and (ii) a wide array of parallel computing approaches. During the reporting period, Llanos-Soto served as a teaching assistant in a graduate level epidemiology course, while Drs. Bulut and Henry gave guest lectures in epidemiology to students in the same course. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During this reporting period, the project team has presented research on antimicrobial use and resistance in food animals through (i) peer-reviewed publications and (ii) meetings with diverse audience. Regarding meetings, results were disseminated (i) locally to graduate students in multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, food sciences, and animal science at Cornell University, (ii) nationally to researchers that are members of the Multistate Research Project NC-1206 Antibiotic Resistance and USDA, as well as (iii) internationally as part of the International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals, the Netherlands. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will submit for a peer review a manuscript describing the model of the resistant and non-resistant E. coli in cattle (sub-objective 1). Also, we will complete the model of multidrug resistant S. Dublin in a heifer raising operation (sub-objective 2). Finally, we will finalize our S. Dublin digital tool for farmers and education materials about control of antimicrobial resistance and infections in dairy farming (sub-objective 3).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
IMPACT: This project uses mathematical modeling to improve understanding of the dynamics of antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella in cattle herds, focusing on heifer raising operations. During the current reporting period we completed a mathematical model of tetracycline-resistant E. coli spread on a cattle farm which indicated that generic hygiene measures on cattle farms are likely to reduce the density of tetracycline-resistant E. coli in the farm environment but are unlikely to eliminate it. Also, we developed a preliminary mathematical and economic model of multidrug resistant S. Dublin in a heifer raising operation; with this model we determined that S. Dublin would likely quickly spread through a heifer-raising operation once introduced but that increased cleaning would allow for the reduction in S. Dublin-related deaths in cattle. For this model we developed a user-friendly web-based digital tool to allow farmers plan control of S. Dublin in their operations. Finally, using mixed methods (questionnaire surveys and interviews) approaches we evaluated perceptions of the general public and dairy veterinarians about antibiotic use and resistance in dairy farming, which will aid development of educational materials and messaging on antimicrobial use and resistance in cattle. These outcomes are expected to improve control of antimicrobial resistance in cattle operations. This project has the following sub-objectives: 1. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance in generic Escherichia coli on a heifer raising operation. We developed a compartmental ordinary differential equation model (in R) with an hourly time step that describes the spread of tetracycline-resistant and non-resistant E. coli in a cattle pen. The model is described in a manuscript that is currently being finalized for peer review (Beauvais et al., in preparation). The model was able to reproduce published observational data from a feedlot operation. Analysis of the model indicated that increase in tetracycline-resistant E. coli in a cattle operation can occur under a range of plausible conditions even in the absence of the use of antimicrobials. Also, we determined that generic hygiene measures on a farm would likely reduce antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the farm environment and could even eliminate them in cold temperatures. This supports importance of manure management as a strategy to control antimicrobial resistance in cattle farms. 2. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance and spread of Salmonella Dublin on a heifer raising operation. A preliminary compartmental model was developed in R using ordinary differential equations, with the time unit of a day, to describe the transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. Dublin among cattle in a heifer raising operation. Stochasticity was introduced using Monte Carlo simulations. The number of cattle deaths within one year after the introduction of a MDR S. Dublin carrier animal was used to calculate the costs associated with S. Dublin infection; changes in farmer's profit were assessed related to the number of S. Dublin deaths for different levels of cleaning effectiveness. Based on preliminary analysis of the deterministic version of the model, the introduction of a single carrier animal leads to a rapid spread of S. Dublin through the operation and an outbreak peaking already at about day 50 post introduction. Among infected cattle, carriers constitute close to 5% of the population (contributing to a continued silent spread of the infection). In the preliminary stochastic version of the model, a considerable variation in the number of infected animals is observed, including a small probability of infection of the majority of the herd (e.g., 95th percentile at the peak of the outbreak reaches more than 80% of the herd). Results indicate that increasing cleaning effectiveness leads to decrease in animal deaths and therefore lower losses in income from dead heifers. A 50% reduction in deaths attributed to S. Dublin can be achieved by increasing cleaning effectiveness from 25% (in the baseline model) to 57%. Additional mitigation strategies will also be investigated, such as testing and culling of identified carriers as well as vaccination, provided availability of data. These findings improve understanding of the transmission dynamics of MDR S. Dublin and the economic feasibility of farm cleaning strategies. One proposed approach to reducing antibiotic use on conventional dairy farms is via restricting the use of medically important antibiotics through a third-party certification of responsible use of medically important antibiotics. In the previous reporting period, we investigated this through a combination of an experimental auction and a nationally representative survey of the general public, which indicated that about 50% of consumers would prefer milk produced in such a way but would not be willing to pay a premium for it. A manuscript describing this study has been submitted for a peer-review (Schell et al., under review). Further research is needed to quantify the cost and feasibility of farm implementation of such a certification of responsible use of medically important antibiotics. 3. Develop and disseminate education materials about control of antimicrobial resistance and infections in dairy farming. To develop education materials about antibiotic use and resistance in dairy farming we evaluated perceptions of the general public (Bulut et al., 2021) and veterinarians (Padda et al, 2021; Llanos-Soto et al., 2021). For the S. Dublin model in a heifer-raising operation (described under sub-objective 2), we developed a preliminary free, user-friendly web-based digital tool for use by farmers. This tool will allow farmers to set values for herd size and average duration of stay for heifers, as well as the desired or feasible level of cleaning effectiveness, to predict the spread of MDR S. Dublin under such conditions. Thus, the tool will support dairy farmers' ability to make informed decisions about cost-effective approaches to safeguard their production from MDR S. Dublin.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Llanos-Soto, S., N. Vezeau, M. Wemette, E. Bulut, A. Greiner Safi, P. Moroni, M.A. Shapiro, R. Ivanek. Survey of perceptions and attitudes of an international group of veterinarians regarding antibiotic use and resistance on dairy cattle farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2021, Volume 188. 105253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105253
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Padda, H., Wemette, M., Safi, A. G., Beauvais, W., Shapiro, M. A., Moroni, P., & Ivanek, R. New York State dairy veterinarians perceptions of antibiotic use and resistance: A qualitative interview study. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2021, 194, 105428 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105428
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Bulut, E., A. Stout, M. Wemette, S. Llanos-Soto, R.C. Schell, A. Greiner Safi, M.A. Shapiro, P. Moroni, R. Ivanek. How does public perception of antibiotic use on dairy farms contribute to self-reported purchasing of organic? J. Food Sci., 2021, 86(5):2045-2060. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15720
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Bulut, E., Stout, A., Wemette, M., Llanos-Soto, S., Schell, R., Greiner Safi, A., Shapiro, M., Moroni, P., Ivanek, R. How does public perception of antibiotic use on dairy farms contribute to purchasing organic? 2020 Conference for Research Workers in Animal Agriculture (CRWAD) Virtual Conference, December 5-8, 2020. Oral presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Llanos-Soto S., N. Vezeau, M. Wemette, E. Bulut, A. Greiner Safi, P. Moroni, M. Shapiro, R. Ivanek. Antibiotic use and resistance on dairy cattle farms: perceptions of an international group of veterinarians. 5th International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (Virtual due to COVID-19). June 7-9, 2021. Poster presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ivanek, R. Why arent we there yet? Perceptions of farmers, veterinarians, and consumers about sustainable antibiotic use in dairy farming. 5th International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals. Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (Virtual due to COVID-19). June 8, 2021. Oral presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Ivanek, R. and P. Moroni. Antimicrobial Resistance, Annual meeting of the Multistate Research Project NC-1206 (Virtual), December 10, 2020. Oral presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Llanos-Soto, S., Wiedmann, M., Adalja, A., Ivanek, R. Control of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Dublin in heifer raising operations through integration of mathematical modeling and economics approaches. Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA): 5th Annual CIDA Workshop, Oct 11, 2021. Poster Presentation
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Monistero V., Barberio A., Cremonesi P., Castiglioni B., Morandi S., Lassen D.C.K., Astrup L.B., Locatelli C., Piccinini R., Addis M.F., Bronzo V., Moroni P. Genotyping and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiling of Streptococcus uberis Isolated from a Clinical Bovine Mastitis Outbreak in a Dairy Farm. Antibiotics, 2021, 10(6):644. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10060644
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Penati M., Sala G., Biscarini F., Boccardo A., Bronzo V., Castiglioni B., Cremonesi P., Moroni P., Pravettoni D., Addis M.F. Feeding Pre-weaned Calves With Waste Milk Containing Antibiotic Residues Is Related to a Higher Incidence of Diarrhea and Alterations in the Fecal Microbiota. Front Vet Sci, 2021, Vol 8:650150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.650150
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Schell, R., E. Bulut, H. Padda, A. Greiner Safi, Paolo Moroni, and R. Ivanek. Responsible antibiotic use labeling and consumers willingness to buy and pay for fluid milk
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:In this reporting period the target audiences reached include various stakeholders in the global efforts to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem: dairy farmers, veterinarians, researchers (including in epidemiology, mathematics, veterinary medicine, animal science, microbiology, and genetics), students (graduate, DVM and MPH), extension specialists, public health professionals, consumers of dairy products, members of regulatory agencies (FDA, USDA) and rural communities engaged in the dairy industry and animal agriculture in general, in New York State (NYS) and elsewhere. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The following training opportunities have been provided during the reporting period. Dr. Ivanek has mentored Hannah Padda (DVM student trainee); Sebastian Llanos-Soto (DVM, PhD student); and Michelle Wemette, Wendy Beauvais and Ece Bulut (postdoctoral associates) in epidemiology and mathematical modeling. Dr. Moroni advised Hannah Padda and Sebastian Llanos-Soto in cattle health and management. Dr. Llanos-Soto and Dr. Ivanek mentored Yung-Ling Lin and Makayla Ilynne Enchill (MPH students) in the epidemiology of antimicrobial use and resistance in animal agriculture. Dr. Ece Bulut and Dr. Renata Ivanek mentored Lia Danielle Birston (DVM student) in antibiotic resistance. In terms of professional development supported by this grant, the mentees had opportunities to increase their knowledge about antibiotic use and resistance through attending relevant meetings, including: Sebastian Llanos-Soto and Ece Bulut gave oral presentations at the 2020 Conference for Research Workers in Animal Agriculture. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During this reporting period, the project team has presented research on antimicrobial resistance through peer-reviewed publications and at multiple venues to audiences that included representatives from graduate students in multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, food sciences, and animal science at Cornell University; researchers that are members of the Multistate Research Project NC-1206 Antibiotic Resistance; government bodies (USDA, FDA); and students in public health (the Cornell MPH program). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will complete the model of the resistant and non-resistant E. coli in cattle (sub-objective 1). Also, we will complete the model of multidrug resistant S. Dublin in a heifer raising operation (sub-objective 2). Finally, in sub-objective 3 we will synthesize findings from sub-objectives 1 and 2, and develop and disseminate education materials about control of antimicrobial resistance and infections in dairy farming.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project has the following sub-objectives: 1. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance in generic Escherichia coli on a heifer raising operation. We further refined a compartmental mathematical model of the spread of tetracycline-resistant and non-resistant Escherichia coli in a cattle pen (Beauvais et al., in preparation). The model has so far been used to (i) identify conditions under which antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria can increase in number in the environment and cattle over a period of weeks after animals colonized with resistant bacteria are introduced into the pen even when cattle in the pen are not treated with antibiotics; and (ii) determine effectiveness of farm management strategies (e.g., introducing a fallow period between batches of animals and pen floor scraping) in reducing the presence of AMR bacteria in the environment and cattle. Sensitivity analysis involved Monte Carlo simulations. The model was run for 250 days for 100,000 iterations. Preliminary results suggest that AMR bacteria can grow in the farm environment in a range of realistic environmental conditions, even in the absence of antibiotic use in cattle, especially if the baseline bacterial death rate in the environment is low (i.e., low cleaning frequency). This supports that some farm environments or conditions may present at least a temporary reservoir for tetracycline-resistant bacteria. 2. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance and spread of Salmonella Dublin on a heifer raising operation. We are developing a preliminary compartmental mathematical model of multidrug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Dublin spread between heifers and their environment in a heifer raising operation (Llanos-Soto et al., in preparation). The model is intended to account for the effect of ambient temperature on survival of non-resistant and MDR Salmonella in the environment and how that affects the prevalence of infected cattle. Additionally, the model aims to consider the horizontal transfer of resistance traits between resistant and non-resistant bacteria in both the infected cattle and environment compartments, as well as antibiotic treatment and different manure management strategies. The model will be used to elucidate how ambient temperature and growth of MDR S. Dublin in the environment affect the dynamics of the pathogen in a heifer raising operation and to evaluate effectiveness of farm management strategies (e.g., introducing a fallow period between batches of animals and pen floor scraping) in reducing MDR S. Dublin infection prevalence in cattle and contamination levels in the environment. The model is currently being parameterized. One proposed approach to reduce antibiotic use on conventional dairy farms is via restricting the use of medically important antibiotics (i.e., those important to human health), including tetracyclines, through a third-party certification that certifies responsible use of medically important antibiotics. However, a question important for parameterization of a mathematical model of MDR S. Dublin on a heifer raising operation is whether conventional farmers would have profit incentives to seek such a certification (in terms of higher milk prices). Thus, in collaboration between this project and the recently completed USDA Hatch project (entitled "Understanding the use of Antibiotics on New York Dairy Farms: an Interview Study with Farmers and Veterinarians"), we conducted a non-hypothetical experimental auction to estimate how much consumers are willing to pay for the organic (i.e., antibiotic free production) label vs. the responsible use of antibiotics label vs. generic conventional milk. During this reporting period we completed analysis of this experiment, which indicated that consumers positively reacted to the education about the need to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in conventional farming, but were still most willing to pay for the organic label (Schell et al., under review). In parallel to this experimental auction, we conducted a nationally representative survey of the general public (1000 participants), which revealed that nearly 50% of the general public would be willing to purchase milk produced in "a way that minimizes antibiotic use more than conventional milk and maximizes animal welfare more than organic milk" (Schell et al., under review). In summary, the survey-identified preferences for "responsibly used antibiotics" labeled milk could reflect a genuine preference (or a social desirability bias) but for which consumers will not pay a premium. This means that the certification assuring responsible use of medically important antibiotics would need to provide other incentives to the dairy farmers (e.g., reduced mortality from MDR S. Dublin infections) to be accepted. 3. Develop and disseminate education materials about control of antimicrobial resistance and infections in dairy farming. To prepare for development of outreach materials we have conducted an abbreviated literature review on the control of AMR and infections in dairy farming. Next, an initial draft of an educational outreach material (brochure) was developed for dairy farm managers. The brochure content was designed to motivate farm managers to serve as changemakers when it comes to the problem of antibiotic overuse and inappropriate use as well as AMR in dairy farming. Also, the content was designed to highlight that a One Health approach is needed to develop comprehensive, sustainable, and systems-level solutions to the AMR problem. This preliminary brochure will be further refined based on findings in sub-objectives 1 and 2 and then disseminated among dairy managers.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Monistero V, Barberio A, Biscarini F, Cremonesi P, Castiglioni B, Graber HU, Bottini E, Ceballos-Marquez A, Kroemker V, Petzer IM, Pollera C, Santisteban C, Veiga Dos Santos M, Bronzo V, Piccinini R, Re G, Cocchi M, Moroni P. Different distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence profiles of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis in six countries. Journal of Dairy Science. 2020 Apr;103(4):3431-3446. doi: 10.3168/jds.2019-17141.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Kumar R, Register K, Christopher-Hennings J, Moroni P, Gioia G, Garcia-Fernandez N, Nelson J, Jelinski MD, Lysnyansky I, Bayles D, Alt D, Scaria J. Population Genomic Analysis of Mycoplasma bovis Elucidates Geographical Variations and Genes associated with Host-Types. Microorganisms. 2020, 10;8(10):1561. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8101561.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Biscarini F, Cremonesi P, Castiglioni B, Stella A, Bronzo V, Locatelli C, Moroni P. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Teat-Sealant and Antibiotic Dry-Cow Treatments for Mastitis Prevention Shows Similar Effect on the Healthy Milk Microbiome. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020 Sep 2;7:581. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00581.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Llanos-Soto, S., N. Vezeau, M. Wemette, E. Bulut, A. Greiner Safi, P. Moroni, M.A. Shapiro, R. Ivanek. Survey of perceptions and attitudes of an international group of veterinarians regarding antibiotic use and resistance on dairy cattle farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine (In press).
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Llanos-Soto, S., Vezeau, N., Wemette, M., Bulut, E., Greiner Safi, A., Moroni, P., Shapiro, M.A., Ivanek, R. International survey of veterinarians' perceptions about antibiotic use and resistance on dairy cattle farms. 2020 Conference for Research Workers in Animal Agriculture (CRWAD) Virtual Conference, December 5-8, 2020. Oral presentation.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Beauvais W., T. Arthur, J. Schmidt, R. Ivanek. How does the environment affect persistence of antimicrobial resistance on farms and could it play a role in mitigation strategies? -an in silico study. Conference Antimicrobial Resistance: Research Synergies in Human and Animal Medicine . Ithaca, NY. September 26, 2019. Poster presentation
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audiences include various stakeholders in the global efforts to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem, including farmers, veterinarians, researchers, students, public health professionals, consumers of dairy products, members of regulatory agencies and rural communities engaged in the dairy industry and animal agriculture in general, in NY and elsewhere. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The following training opportunities have been provided during the reporting period. Dr. Ivanek has mentored Wendy Beauvais (postdoctoral associate), Robert Schell behavioral economics research staff) and Hannah Padda (DVM student). The trainees were advised by Dr. Ivanek in epidemiology, public health, animal and dairy health, statistical and mathematical modeling and behavioral economics. In terms of professional development supported by this grant, Dr. Beauvais had an opportunity to increase her knowledge about antibiotic use and resistance through attending two conference venues: Conference for Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD) in Chicago, IL, and Conference "Antimicrobial Resistance: Research Synergies in Human and Animal Medicine" in Ithaca, NY. Also, Dr. Beauvais visited a heifer-rearing operation in New York to improve understanding of the management of such operations. Hannah Padda co-organized an auction experiment under the leadership of Robert Schell. Michelle Wemette co-organized with Dr. Ivanek a session "Antibiotic Use in Humans and Animals: Strategies from Social Science", at 2019 AAAS Annual meeting (Washington DC, February 17, 2019). A PhD student, Dr. Alison Stout, attended the 2019 Annual Agricultural Research Exhibition and Reception on Capitol Hill with Dr. Ivanek to present research on antimicrobial resistance at Cornell and met with congressional leaders and staff in theri offices. Dr. Ivanek participated in the USDA funded "Human Dimension of AMR in Agriculture Workshop" in Nebraska. To provide opportunities for exchange of information and professional development of graduate students, Dr. Ivanek also co-organized a mini-symposium at Cornell "Understanding Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Animal Agriculture: Findings from Epidemiology, Economics and Social Science", in Ithaca NY, December 5th, 2019, which included speakers from Cornell, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, University of Maryland Baltimore County and University of Toulouse. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project team has presented preliminary results to audiences that included researchers, teachers and students from multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, food sciences, animal science, veterinary medicine, public health and economics (Cornell University); researchers that are members of the Multistate Research Project NC-1206 Antibiotic Resistance; government bodies (USDA, CDC); non-governmental organizations (The Pew Charitable Trusts); and researchers, teachers and students in human medicine (the Weill Cornell College of Medicine) and public health (the Cornell MPH Program). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will complete the model of the resistant and non-resistant E. coli on a heifer raising operation (sub-objective 1) and then adapt the model to evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance and spread of S. Dublin (sub-objective 2). Additionally, we will complete the analyses of the auction experiment (sub-objective 2).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
This project has the following sub-objectives: 1. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance in generic Escherichia coli on a heifer raising operation. 2. Evaluate the dynamics of antibiotic resistance and spread of Salmonella Dublin on a heifer raising operation. 3. Develop and disseminate education materials about control of antimicrobial resistance and infections in dairy farming. In year 1 we have made progress on the sub-objectives 1 and 2. Specifically, in sub-objective 1 we have developed a preliminary model of the spread of tetracycline-resistant and non-resistant Escherichia coli on a cattle unit (Beauvais et al., in preparation). The model was subjected to sensitivity and scenario analysis and evaluated to identify the most important parameters that need to be changed to adapt the model for a heifer-rearing unit. Information about heifer-rearing units in the region has been gathered, including through a visit to a heifer-rearing farm; this will improve model parameterization. A key preliminary finding from analysis of the developed mathematical model is that it is theoretically possible for resistant bacteria in the environment to experience a surge in population size shortly after they are shed from cattle, and that this surge in growth is relatively sensitive to model assumptions and key parameters i.e. carrying capacity and death rate (or elimination) of bacteria in the environment (e.g., due to cleaning). This suggests that some farm environments may be suitable reservoirs for tetracycline-resistant bacteria, whereas others may be less so. One proposed approach to reduce antibiotic use on conventional farms is via restricting the use of medically important antibiotics (i.e., those important to human health), including tetracyclines, through a proposed third-party certification that certifies responsible use of medically important antibiotics. However, a question important for parameterization of a mathematical model of antibiotic resistance and spread of Salmonella Dublin on a heifer raising operation is whether conventional farmers would have enough incentives to seek such a certification and reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in their cattle. To answer that question, as part of sub-objective 2, and in collaboration between this project and the ongoing USDA Hatch project (entitled "Understanding the use of Antibiotics on New York Dairy Farms: an Interview Study with Farmers and Veterinarians"), we conducted a pilot auction experiment, that simulates an actual shopping decision, to estimate how much consumers are willing to pay for milk labeled organic (i.e., antibiotic free raising) vs. milk from conventional farming but labeled as responsible use of antibiotics vs. generic milk from conventional farming. The education session involved informing consumers about consequences of overuse of antibiotics on conventional farms and the potential harm to animals from total omission of antibiotic use required for animal products labeled as organic. Preliminary results suggest that consumers positively reacted to the education about the need to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in conventional farming, but their willingness to pay for milk labeled as responsible use of antibiotics was not statistically significantly higher compared to the generic milk (possibly due to an insufficient power in the pilot study). At the same time they were still most willing to pay for the organic label (Schell et al., in preparation). The finding that consumers would be willing to purchase milk labeled as responsible use of antibiotics indicates a potential market for conventional milk produced under such certification. However, it still needs to be determined whether their willingness to pay for such products would match production costs of such milk. More immediately, these findings support the rationale to test implications of reducing the use of medically important antibiotics in mathematical modeling conducted as part of this project.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Moroni, P., A. Sipka and G. Gioia. Can standard bacteriology, on-farm culture, MALDI-TOF, PCR and arrays really help and support our veterinarians and farmers to take treatment decisions and try to optimize and reduce the use of antibiotics in dairy farms? FIL-IDF Mastitis Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 14-16 May 2019.
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