Antimicrobial consumption: Comparison of three different data collection methods.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
• Animal Health Economics

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health concern.
• Effective surveillance of antimicrobial consumption in animals is crucial for AMR control.
• Current data collection methods for antimicrobial use in dairy farms may lack consistency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally compare the consistency of antimicrobial consumption data across three distinct collection methods.
• To evaluate data completeness and variety from veterinary software, farm treatment journals, and discarded drug packages.
• To identify the most reliable method for quantifying antimicrobial use in dairy cattle.

Main Methods:

• A 18-month longitudinal study involving 20 veterinary practices and 92 dairy farms.
• Compared data from veterinary software, farm treatment journals (analyzed with and without dosage supplementation), and discarded drug packages (garbage).
• Analyzed intramammary (lactation and dry-off) and systemic antimicrobial use, comparing quantities (injectors, active substances) and treatment incidences.

Main Results:

• Veterinary software data yielded the highest quantities of antimicrobials for all treatment types (intramammary and systemic).
• Treatment journals with only complete entries provided the lowest data yield.
• Software and garbage data showed moderate agreement for intramammary treatments (56.1% for injectors); garbage revealed the widest variety of intramammary products, while software captured the most systemic products.

Conclusions:

• Significant data inconsistencies exist between veterinary software, treatment journals, and garbage data for antimicrobial consumption.
• No single method captured complete antimicrobial usage data on participating farms.
• Standardized systems are essential for accurate quantification and assessment of antimicrobial consumption at veterinary practice and farm levels.