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Projects 14

Antimicrobial resistance in important bacterial pathogens in pigs The pig production is responsible for the majority of the usage of antimicrobials for animals in Denmark. A systematic surveillance of antimicrobial consumption is in place for both humans and animals, and likewise, there is a surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in certain human patho-gens as well as in certain zoonotic and indicator organisms from animals. However, our knowledge prevalence and development of resistance in bacteria, which only are pathogenic to animals and not to humans, is lacking much behind, and at present there is no surveillance of such bacteria. Nevertheless, such knowledge is crucial for the choice of correct antibiotic for treatment and for the success of the treatment. Therefore, it is important to know the susceptibility patterns of the most important bacterial pathogens in animals, both at herd level and at population level. Aims and scope: To investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility in up-to-date collections of bacterial pathogens from pigs, such as E. coli or Brachyspira from pigs with diarrhoea, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from lung infections. Methods: Susceptibility test are carried out by using MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) determination. Bacteria are from the laboratory’s own collections or acquired from private diagnostic laboratories. Contact: Professor Karl Pedersen, kape@vet.dtu.dk 9 Inhibition studies of Clostridium perfringens Clostridium perfringens is one of the most important pathogenic bacteria for several animal spe-cies, but is in particular a problem in pig and poultry production. The infection mainly affects young animals, i.e. 2 – 3 weeks old broiler chickens and pigs in their first week of life causing necrotic enteritis. This early onset makes vaccination of the animals impossible, although in pig production, vaccination of the sows is a possibility. The typical treatment is therefore antibiotics. Several companies have developed and marketed products, which are claimed to have a benefici-al effect on intestinal health and inhibit intestinal pathogenic bacteria, such as C. perfringens or E. coli. Such products may be based on plant extracts, organic acids, live microorganisms, or other factors. In this project we wish to investigate the inhibitory effect of such products on C. perfringens. Aims and scope: To investigate how and to what extent C. perfringens is inhibited by active compounds from com-mercial products, marketed with the aim of improving intestinal health in pig or chickens. Methods: We will use in vitro studies, where the inhibition of C. perfringens is estimated from inhibition zones on agar media or growth rate inhibition in liquid growth media. Contact: Professor Karl Pedersen, kape@vet.dtu.dk


Projects 14
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