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Simple Summary: Legal regulations at European and national level create the basis for the protection of animals. A certificate of competence is obligatory when animals intended for human consumption are handled or slaughtered. Within the project "eSchulTS2", e-learning training courses for employees of transport companies and abattoirs were developed to the improve animal welfare of pigs during transport and slaughter. This study was to assess the impact on the respective knowledge of employee groups with different educational level and background at one pig abattoir in Germany and to pre-evaluate the innovative and low-barrier didactical concept of the e-learning training courses. By using questions of knowledge, it was shown that more questions of knowledge were answered correctly after conducting the courses. Together with interactions shown by further statistical methods, this pre-evaluation showed that with the underlying didactical concept, an increase in knowledge was achieved. In addition to the information on the possession of a certificate of competence, there are no concrete obligations for repetitive training for personnel handling live animals at transport and slaughter. Deficiencies in the animal-welfare-friendly handling of pigs are known. The developed pilot modules "Handling of pigs" and "Electrical stunning" were tested in a pretest–posttest study in German and Romanian using questions of knowledge before and after the implementation of the modules. In this study, 45 and 46 datasets of participants could be analyzed. The mean percentages of correctly answered questions in the posttest increased by 5.6% in the module "Handling of pigs" and by 10.6% in the module "Electrical stunning". A significant interaction was found for the language match and trend categories in the module "Handling of pigs". No Romanian native speaker had a positive trend in this module. For both modules separately, participant education level significantly interacted with the language match and the presence or absence of a certificate of competence. Comparing the percentages of the correct given answers, significant interactions in the subgroups were more common in the module "Electrical stunning". One question in "Electrical stunning" was correctly answered significantly more often in the posttest. Because of the positive mean trends of knowledge within this pre-evaluation, we assume the didactical concept was suitable for our target groups. Holders of a certificate of competence also gave more correct answers in the post-test. This underlines the importance of repetitive training. Differences in the trends of knowledge gain seem to be topic and experience related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Derby (S. Derby) is one of the most frequent causes for salmonellosis in humans and animals. Understanding the genetic diversity of S. Derby, as well as the nature and origin of its resistance to antimicrobial treatment are thus the key to epidemiological control and surveillance. Here, we report an analysis of 15 S. Derby strains isolated from pig and cattle in slaughterhouses across Germany (2000–2015), which belonged to multilocus sequence types (ST) ST39, ST40 and ST682. Strains were compared to publicly available S. Derby sequence data of these three STs from Germany, comprising 65 isolates collected between 2004 and 2018 from different sources (i.e., pigs, humans, cattle, wild boar, and poultry). A total of 80 sequences (ST39 = 34, ST40 = 21, and ST682 = 25) were analyzed to assess genetic diversity, to identify virulence-associated and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), and to characterize plasmid content. Strains belonging to all three STs were identified in each source examined. Strains with the same ST were closely related regardless of origin. Altogether, 72.5% of the isolates carried at least one resistance gene, furthermore ST40 carried most of the ARGs and the plasmid replicons. The IncI1 replicon was detected in eleven isolates, four of them carried IncI1 plasmid ST26 with clonal complex 2. The comparison of these four isolates with an IncI1 ST26 plasmid reported in 2010 from a German pig (JX566770), showed only variations in a region carrying different ARGs and mobile genetic elements. The strains of our collection had similar genetic diversity as the strains taken from the public database. Moreover, we found that strains harboring multidrug resistant IncI plasmid were found in different animal species, indicating that S. Derby may be implicated in the spread of antimicrobial resistance among animal species. Results may contribute to the knowledge about the diversity in S. Derby in Germany, which may be useful for the future surveillance and antimicrobial resistance of this serovar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mini-Lewe was bred as an animal model for experimental research in the former Democratic Republic of Germany. The remaining stock, including 5 boars and 10 sows, was transferred from the Humboldt-University Berlin to the experimental and teaching farm Ruthe (LFG Ruthe) of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation in 2005. Since then, the Mini-Lewe was bred at the LFG Ruthe. The present study has the objective to perform a population genetic analysis of this Mini-Lewe breeding population based on pedigree data to evaluate genetic diversity and degree of inbreeding as well as inbreeding depression on litter size traits. The results of the comparative analysis of the original population in 2005 with the current population of 2018 showed a loss of genetic diversity. In the population of 2018, the mean inbreeding coefficient was 11.7%, the mean increase in inbreeding was 1.2%, the effective population size included 13 individuals and the number of effective founder genomes was 2.4. Significant negative effects due to an increase of inbreeding coefficients and individual rates of inbreeding of the dams were observed for the total number of piglets born, piglets born alive and piglets weaned per litter. A similar increase in inbreeding coefficients and individual rates of inbreeding of the sire also had significant negative effects on the number of piglets born alive per litter. Maximal expectation for the effect of an increase in inbreeding showed a loss of up to one piglet weaned per litter. In conclusion, as only five piglets are weaned per litter on average, measures to preserve the Mini-Lewe breeding population at the LFG Ruthe should be implemented. Therefore, long generation intervals were considered as essential and mating management minimized relationship coefficients using all available pedigree information. As a further measure, sperm conservation of breeding boars is being planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • P. multocida isolates with high sulfonamide/trimethoprim MICs were detected in 3/29 farms. • These P. multocida isolates were related in their ApaI and SmaI PFGE patterns. • All of them harboured a plasmid of 6050 bp that was closely related to a plasmid of A. pleuropneumoniae. • The plasmid carried intact sul2 and dfrA14 genes, the latter was integrated into a strA gene. Abstract Pasteurella multocida is an important respiratory tract pathogen in intensive livestock farming, especially in pigs. Antimicrobial agents are frequently used to combat infections caused by this pathogen. In a study on antimicrobial resistance among respiratory tract pathogens of pigs from 30 German pig-producing farms, P. multocida isolates (n = 9) with high minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 16/304 mg/L (n = 2), 32/608 mg/L (n = 3) or ≥64/1216 mg/L (n = 4) for trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (1:19) and of ≥512 mg/L (n = 9) for trimethoprim (TMP) were detected in three of these farms. The genetic relatedness of the isolates was investigated via capsule-specific PCR and macrorestriction analyses with Apa I and Sma I. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed indistinguishable restriction patterns per farm, with slight differences between the three farms. All isolates represented capsular type A. Four representative isolates, that were subjected to whole genome sequencing, shared the multi-locus sequence type (ST) 3. Their plasmids were transformed into E. coli TOP10 with subsequent selection on TMP-containing agar plates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and plasmid analysis of the transformants confirmed that they were resistant to sulfonamides and trimethoprim and carried only a single small plasmid. This plasmid was completely sequenced and revealed a size of 6050 bp. Sequence analyses identified the presence of a resistance gene cluster comprising the genes sul2-ΔstrA-dfrA14-ΔstrA-ΔstrB. Further analysis identified a dfrA14 gene cassette being integrated into the strA reading frame. Neither the gene dfrA14 nor this gene cluster have been detected before in P. multocida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study was conducted to determine chemical composition and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in rapeseed meals (RSM) differing in glucosinolate (GSL) content for growing pigs. The selected RSM (n =5) represent the actual range in GSL content (15–5μmolGSL/gdrymatter) of commercial prepress-solvent extracted RSM among German oil mills, and were sourced from 5 different locations. In total, 5 RSM-cornstarch-based diets were formulated to contain the selected RSM as the sole protein source. The experiment was conducted according to a 5×5 Latin square design using 5 barrows with an initial body weight of 22±0.7kg, which were fitted with a T-cannula at the distal ileum. The contents of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin and neutral detergent fiber bound crude protein (CP) increased and contents of reactive lysine (rLys) and CP, as well as ratios of lysine:CP and rLys:CP, in RSM decreased linearly as the content of GSL in RSM decreased (P<0.05). Lower GSL contents in combination with lower ratios of lysine:CP and rLys:CP indicate that over-toasting during processing of RSM may be an issue in German oil mills. There was no effect of GSL or rLys contents on SID of CP and AA (P>0.05), which is in line with the observation that the SID of AA differed not more than 7 percentage units between the 5 assay RSM. However, when taking the differences in total Lys content between assay RSM into account, standardized ileal lysine content decreased linearly from 14.2 to 11.5g/kgDM, as the GSL content decreased from 15 to 5μmol/gDM (P<0.05). Overall, SID of CP and AA in all 5 assay RSM was rather low compared with average table values for canola meal and RSM, eventually due to their relatively high contents of fiber and sinapic acid, a phenolic compound, which is associated with higher tannin contents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Maternal nutrition during gestation has important effects on offspring gene expression mediated by DNA methylation. In order to evaluate the effect of restricted and excess protein intake during gestation, hepatic gene expression and DNA methylation of key metabolic genes NR3C1, PPARα, HMGCR, PGC1α, INSR and CYP2C34 were investigated. Liver samples of German Landrace offspring were collected at Gestational Day 95, at birth, at weaning and from finisher pigs. Gene expression in foetal liver revealed significant differences between the control group (CO) and the low-protein group (LP) in HMGCR (P<.0001), INSR (P=.0003), NR3C1 (P=.020) and PGC1α (P=.003). At birth INSR (P=.032), PPARα (P=.0006) and CYP2C34 (P<.0001) showed significant differences between LP and CO. CYP2C34 was significantly increased in the high-protein group (HP) compared to CO (P=.001). At weaning, INSR was significantly higher expressed in LP than in CO (P=.018). HMGCR showed a significant decrease of transcript amount in HP compared to CO (P=.0006). Furthermore, we studied the question whether gene expression differences between distinct diet groups are a result of differential DNA methylation status. CpG sites in the 5′-flanking region of CYP2C34 showed a significant positive correlation with transcript amount in LP (nt −137: R=0.67, P<.0001; nt −112: R=0.54, P=.003). In NR3C1 methylation, differences in the CpG island were negatively correlated with gene expression data in LP (R=−0.34, P=.032). The mean of methylation of PPARα over CpG sites from nt −220 to −11 was significantly increased in the LP group compared with CO (P=.043). These data suggest an influence of DNA methylation in nutrient-dependent transcriptional regulation of NR3C1, PPARα and CYP2C34. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Salmonellosis is one of the major zoonotic, food-borne diseases, among others, caused by pig derived food products. As infected pigs are one of the main sources of the introduction of the bacterium into the food chain, scientific research in the last years has focussed on identifying risk factors for infection as well as developing mitigation strategies on this level of production. In order to update the knowledge of the German situation by incorporating recent changes in the German pig industry, a case–control study was set up to identify the key contributing risk factors for farms located in the western part of Lower Saxony, the region with the highest pig density in Germany. Based on an extensive and systematic literature search, a comprehensive questionnaire with 302 questions concerning such topics as personnel hygiene, animal management, biosecurity, feeding management as well as cleaning and disinfection routines was utilized in a face-to-face interview on 104 case and 67 control farms. Within a stepwise forward selection process the preliminary identified factors were grouped contextually, associations between variables were calculated and multivariable logistic regression models were conducted. Identified risk factors were: the moving of individual animals during the fattening period (OR 5.3, CI 95% 1.35–20.35), not having a separate transporter for different age groups (OR 11.4, CI 95% 1.94–66.18) and pigs having contact to other animals (OR 4.3, CI 95% 1.39–12.96). The following factors were identified as being protective: not cleaning the transporter (OR 0.2, CI 95% 0.05–0.72) and not having clean boots available (OR 0.2, CI 95% 0.07–0.64). While this study was able to identify some factors which influence the Salmonella-infection of a herd, overall the process of analysis showed that the control of Salmonella on farm is due to a series of individual factors and therefore remains extremely complex. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: This study investigated whether dietary protein intake less (50%) or greater (250%) than requirements throughout gestation differently affects offspring body composition and cellular properties of skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SCAT). Methods: Primiparous gilts were fed iso-energetic diets containing adequate (22 AP), high (21 HP), or low (19 LP) protein contents. Newborn ( n = 166) and weanling piglets cross-fostered to sows fed a standard diet (day 28; n = 83) were examined by morphological, biochemical, histological, and molecular analyses of the body, SCAT, and semitendinosus, longissimus, biceps femoris muscles. Results: Lowered birth weight (BW) in response to the HP and LP diets ( p < 0.01) resulted from decreases in all body constituents in LP, and mainly from reduced body fat in HP piglets ( p < 0.05). In the light BW class within litters, HP piglets exhibited a greater percentage of muscle tissue ( p < 0.05) than LP piglets. Less SCAT mass in HP and LP piglets resulted from reduced ( p < 0.05) number, but not the size of adipocytes. The LP diet adversely affected myogenesis and muscular differentiation derived from less ( p < 0.01) primary and secondary myofibers, lower creatine kinase activity ( p < 0.05), less IGF2 mRNA ( p < 0.10), and greater expression of the embryonic myosin heavy chain isoform ( p < 0.01). Catch-up growth of LP but not HP pigs until day 28 increased body fat ( p = 0.01). Despite compensated muscle growth in LP piglets, the deficit in myofiber number remained. Conclusion: Poor intrauterine environment by limited and excess protein supply retards fetal growth, but only limited protein supply impairs myogenesis, persistently restricts muscle growth potential, and favors obesity at infancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The profitability of pig production considerably depends on the number of born alive and fostered piglets. Therefore, it could be of interest to estimate the reproductive potential of sows. The progress regarding the number of piglets born for German Landrace, Large White and Pietrain in Germany during 1970-2006 is still moderate (GL: 10,4-11,0; LW: 11,0-11,0; PI: 10,2-10,0). Comparing actual international data, variations between 11.3 to 14.2 piglets born alive are observed. The reproductive performance of sows is mainly determined by (i) the number of ovulated follicles and fertilized oocytes, (ii) the percentage of surviving embryos and fetuses, and (iii) the morphological and functional performance of the uterus to support fetal development until birth. Therefore, the question whether the ovary and/or uterus are limiting factors will be discussed. Although only less than 0.1% of oocytes present in the ovary are ovulated during the sows' lifetime, the pool of ovarian follicles is not the limiting one. Selection for ovulation rate increases the number of ovulating follicles, but not of piglets born alive. Limited uterine capacity and function seems to exert greater influence. Although a relationship exists between uterine dimension and the number of fetuses/piglets, uterine length alone is not a prerequisite of higher uterine capacity. Placental efficiency and the degree of placental blood supply appear to be essentially for litter size. At present, the (realistic) presumed potential of fecundity is 16.0 piglets born alive, 2.4 litters/year, <10% losses and 34.0 piglets per sow/year (compared to current data of 12.2, 2.33, 14.8 and 24.2, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The implementation of the European regulations regarding zoonoses demands objective and scientific statements regarding the status of the Salmonella prevalence in the national pig herds of all EU member states. Since 2002, the “QS Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH” has carried out serological Salmonella monitoring in German finishing pig herds. All data generated within the monitoring system are entered into the central database Qualiproof® (Qualitype AG, Dresden). The dataset investigated included 5,324,532 samples taken between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2008, originating from 22,490 herds. Blood sera or meat juices were sampled following a standardized sampling scheme (up to 60 samples per year and herd, depending on herd size) using one of four evaluated ELISA-tests. Herds were classified into three categories I (0–20%), II (>20–40%), or III (>40%) by their percentage of yearly positive samples, which was re-calculated quarterly. The number of participating herds increased continuously since the start of the monitoring programme, with regional differences in the degree of participation. In 2008, 10.8% of all samples were positive. Adjusted for the distribution of samples in the German districts, the Salmonella prevalence in Germany was 7.9%. In general the distribution of herds in the categories was relatively stable over time. In the fourth quarter of 2008, 81.9% of the herds were allocated to category I, 14.0% to category II, and 4.0% to category III. However, the prevalence of Salmonella tended to decrease in herds that participated over a longer period. Differences could be found between German geographical regions. Seroprevalences were higher in the Northwest and the Northeast than in the South. This might be due to the relationship between Salmonella seroprevalences and farm densities per district, which were both higher in Northern than in Southern Germany. The Salmonella monitoring system will contribute to the reduction of the Salmonella prevalence in German pork production, when it is supplemented by control measures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this, study was to investigate whether dietary protein intake during gestation less than or greater than recommendations affects guts growth and body composition, gestation outcome, and colostrum composition. German Landrace guts were fed gestation diets (13.7 MJ of ME/kg) containing a low (n = 18; LP, 6.5% CP), an adequate (n = 20; AP, 12.1%), or a high (n = 16; HP, 30%) protein content corresponding to a protein:carbohydrate ratio of 1:10.4, 1:5, and 1:1.3, respectively, from mating until farrowing. Gilts were inseminated by semen of pure German Landrace boars and induced to farrow at 114 d postcoitum (dpc; Exp. 1). Energy and protein intake during gestation were 33.3, 34.4, and 35.8 MJ of ME/d (P < 0.001) and 160, 328, and 768 g/d, respectively, in LP, AP, and HP gilts (P < 0.001). From insemination to 109 dpc, BW gain was least in LP (42.1 kg), intermediate in HP (63.1 kg), and greatest in AP gilts (68.3 kg), whereas increase of backfat thickness was least in gilts fed the HP diet compared with LP and AP diets (3.8, 5.1, 5.0 mm; P = 0.01). Litter size, % stillborn piglets, and mummies were unaffected (P > 0.28) by the gestation diet. Total litter weight tended to be l~ess in the offspring of LP and HP gilts (14.67, 13.77 vs. 15.96 kg; P = 0.07), and the percentage of male piglets was greater in litters of HP guts (59.4%; P < 0.01). In piglets originating from LP and HP guts, individual birth weight was less (1.20, 1.21 vs. 1.40 kg; P = 0.001) and birth weight/crown-rump length ratio was reduced (45.3, 46.4 vs. 50.7 g/cm; P = 0.003). Colostrum fat (7.8, 7.4 vs. 8.1%) and lactose concentrations (2.2, 2.1 vs. 2.6%) tended to be reduced in LP and HP gilts (P = 0.10). In Exp. 2, 28 guts (LP, 10; AP, 9; HP, 9) were treated as in Exp. 1 but slaughtered at 64 dpc. At 64 dpc, LP guts were 7% lighter than AP guts (P = 0.03), whereas HP gilts were similar to AP guts. Body composition was markedly altered in response to LP and HP feeding with less lean (P < 0.01) and greater fat content (P = 0.02 to 0.04) in LP and less fat content (P = 0.02 to 0.04) in HP gilts. Fetal titter weight and number, and embryonic survival at 64 dpc were not affected by the diets. These results indicated that gestation diets containing protein at 50 and 250% of recommendations and differing in protein:carbohydrate ratio led to marked changes in protein and fat metabolism in guts resulting in fetal growth retardation of 15%, which mainly occurred during the second half of gestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent increases in wild boar populations in central Europe necessitated an evaluation of the current reproductive performance of this species. During a 2-year study, samples of ovaries and uteri were taken from wild boars from areas in the (northern) state of Lower Saxony and the (more southern) Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in which wild boar have been vaccinated against classical swine fever (CSF) after several outbreaks of the disease. Serum samples were also analyzed to determine the prevalence of diseases that may influence pig reproduction and fertility. While there was a striking seasonality of reproductive performance, especially among older animals, mating was delayed in up to 15% of piglets and yearlings, leading to a second peak of farrowing from June to August. Depending on the area, between 60 and 70% of the piglets were most likely to become pregnant during the main period of reproduction, while another two thirds of the remaining individuals farrowed by the summer, which was the case in the mountainous areas. The arithmetic mean number of fetuses were 6.29 per piglet, 6.67 per yearling, and 7.64 per adult for wild boar in Eastern Lower Saxony; 4.58 per piglet and 4.63 per yearling and 6.56 per adult for wild boar in the Western Eifel and 4.77 per yearling and 6.50 per adult in the Palatine Forest, as the number of pregnant piglets has been too low to calculate an arithmetic mean in this area. The numbers of Lower Saxony wild boar fetuses per individual exceed previously known values. The results indicate that exogenous factors have a strong impact on both reproductive seasonality and the percentage of reproducing individuals in an age group. Ovulation rates, numbers of fetuses, and prevalence of pregnancies were found to be high among all age groups, while early onset of puberty and high pregnancy rates were typical of young animals (yearlings). The influence of some important reproductive diseases like Aujeszky’s disease, Brucellosis, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, porcine parvovirosis, and CSF on wild boar reproduction and fertility was tested and found to be at least of minor interest for the reproductive outcome of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional survey was performed in 110 randomly selected pig-breeding farms of southern Hesse, Germany to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasite infestations and to find possible risk factors. Ear scrapings of, if available, 10 sows per farm were examined forSarcoptes scabieivar.suis(De Geer) (Acaridida: Sarcoptidae) by the potassium hydroxide digestion method, and a total of 2754 sows was inspected for skin lesions and infestations withHaematopinus suis(L.) (Anoplurida: Haematopinidae). Data on farm profiles and sows were collected by a questionnaire. In total, 19.1% and 2.5% of the sows were found to be infested withS. scabieiorH. suis, respectively. The percentage of mite or louse infestation was significantly higher in sows showing pruritus than in those without skin lesions. Both ectoparasite infestations were related neither to the age of sows nor their reproduction status, nor to the time interval to last ectoparasite treatment. Using farms as the unit of analysis, the estimated prevalence of mange mite and louse infestations was 45.4% and 14.5%, respectively. There was no significant association between the presence ofS. scabieiandH. suisin the farms. Risk factors forS. scabieiinfestation were mixed housing of dry and nursing sows in the same unit (vs. separate housing) and straw bedding (vs. strawless). For louse infestation, only mechanical cleaning of stable units (vs. additional use of disinfection methods) and pasturing of gilts and dry sows were identified as risk factors. The economic loss byS. scabieiinfestation in the study population was assessed at€4200 per affected farm and year on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an etiological agent of acute hepatitis in humans. In addition, chronic infections resulting in fatal liver cirrhosis currently emerge in immunosuppressed transplant patients. The number of notified hepatitis E cases in Germany has steeply increased in recent years. Here, genotype 3, which can be zoonotically transmitted from animals to humans, is predominant. The main reservoirs are pigs and wild boars, which show no signs of infection. In this article, the distribution of HEV in animals in Germany, possible transmission pathways, and especially the importance of food as a transmission vehicle are presented based on the current scientific literature.HEV is widely spread among domestic pigs and wild boars in Germany and the virus is mainly transmitted by direct contact or by consumption of food produced from those animals. However, if HEV RNA is detected in specific food it is often unclear whether the contained virus is still infectious or inactivated by the conditions during production. Recent studies indicate a high stability of HEV against different physicochemical conditions, whereas - among others - the virus can be efficiently inactivated by heating. Therefore, proper heating of pork meat and liver prior to consumption in general is recommended. For risk groups, avoiding shortly cured raw sausages is an additional suggestion.Further research is necessary to identify relevant risk food products, to investigate alternative transmission pathways, and to develop efficient measures in order to reduce or prevent zoonotic transmissions of the virus in future., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In livestock industry, one sex is usually preferred over the other due to its impact on the production (e.g., milk from cows, eggs from laying hens, or meat from bulls). Boar taint, to which most of the consumers are susceptible, is a major challenge for the pork industry in the light of the enacted ban of castration without anesthesia from 2021 in Germany. Consequently, a shift towards an increased female ratio would be of great benefit for the pork production. We recently described that a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of the porcine SRY gene by intracytoplasmic microinjection or SCNT resulted in genetically male pigs with a female phenotype. This sex reversal study in pigs revealed a pivotal role of the SRY gene in male sex determination and might pave the way for the generation of boars that produce only female offspring., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) of sequence types ST398 and ST9 are dominant lineages among livestock in Europe and Asia, respectively. Although both STs were commonly found as colonizers of the skin and the mucosal membranes, MRSA ST398, rather than MRSA ST9, has been reported to cause infections in humans and animals. Herein, we comparatively analyzed the genomic characteristics, fitness and virulence of MRSA ST398 and ST9 isolated from pigs in both China (CHN) and Germany (GER) to explore the factors that lead to differences in their epidemics and pathogenicity. We observed that the CHN-MRSA ST9 and the GER-MRSA ST9 have evolved independently, whereas the CHN-MRSA ST398 and GER-MRSA ST398 had close evolutionary relationships. Resistance to antimicrobial agents commonly used in livestock, the enhanced ability of biofilm formation, and the resistance to desiccation contribute to the success of the dominant clones of CHN-MRSA ST9 and GER-MRSA ST398, and the vwb νSaα gene on the genomic island might in part contribute to their colonization fitness in pigs. All MRSA ST398 strains revealed more diverse genome structures, higher tolerance to acids and high osmotic pressure, and greater competitive fitness in co-culture experiments. Notably, we identified and characterized a novel hysA νSaβ gene, which was located on the genomic island νSaβ of MRSA ST398 but was absent in MRSA ST9. The enhanced pathogenicity of the MRSA ST398 strains due to hysA νSaβ might in part explain why MRSA ST398 strains are more likely to cause infections.

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) remains a serious public health threat. Porcine nasal cavities are predominant habitats of LA-MRSA. Hence, components of their microbiota might be of interest as putative antagonistically acting competitors. Here, an extensive culturomics approach has been applied including 27 healthy pigs from seven different farms; five were treated with antibiotics prior to sampling. Overall, 314 different species with standing in nomenclature and 51 isolates representing novel bacterial taxa were detected. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from pigs on all seven farms sampled, comprising ten different spa types with t899 (n = 15, 29.4%) and t337 (n = 10, 19.6%) being most frequently isolated. Twenty-six MRSA (mostly t899) were detected on five out of the seven farms. Positive correlations between MRSA colonization and age and colonization with Streptococcus hyovaginalis, and a negative correlation between colonization with MRSA and Citrobacter spp. were found (p < 0.05). Of 209 non-S. aureus members of the Staphylococcaceae family, 25 isolates (12.0%) from three out of the seven farms exhibited methicillin resistance, including two Macrococcus goetzii isolates carrying the mecB gene. Among 125 Enterobacterales, none tested positive for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase production. The high frequency of methicillin-resistant staphylococci supports the need for enhanced efforts within the "One Health" concept to manage the antibiotic resistance crisis in the human and veterinary medicine sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serological screening of pig herds at the abattoir is considered a potential tool to improve meat inspection procedures and herd health management. Therefore, we previously reported the feasibility of a miniaturised protein microarray as a new serological IgG screening test for zoonotic agents and production diseases in pigs. The present study investigates whether the protein microarray-based assay is applicable for high sample throughput using either blood serum or meat juice., Material and Methods: Microarrays with 12 different antigens were produced by Abbott (formerly Alere Technologies GmbH) Jena, Germany in a previously offered 'ArrayTube' platform and in an 'ArrayStrip' platform for large-scale use. A test protocol for the use of meat juice on both microarray platforms was developed. Agreement between serum and meat juice was analysed with 88 paired samples from three German abattoirs. Serum was diluted 1:50 and meat juice 1:2. ELISA results for all tested antigens from a preceding study were used as reference test to perform Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis for both test specimens on both microarray platforms., Results: High area under curve values (AUC > 0.7) were calculated for the analysis of T. gondii (0.87), Y. enterocolitica (0.97), Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (0.84) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (0.71) with serum as the test specimen and for T. gondii (0.99), Y. enterocolitica (0.94), PRRSV (0.88), A. pleuropneumoniae (0.78) and Salmonella spp. (0.72) with meat juice as the test specimen on the ArrayStrip platform. Cohens kappa values of 0.92 for T. gondii and 0.82 for Y. enterocolitica were obtained for the comparison between serum and meat juice. When applying the new method in two further laboratories, kappa values between 0.63 and 0.94 were achieved between the laboratories for these two pathogens., Conclusion: Further development of a miniaturised pig-specific IgG protein microarray assay showed that meat juice can be used on microarray platforms. Two out of twelve tested antigens (T. gondii, Y. enterocolitica) showed high test accuracy on the ArrayTube and the ArrayStrip platform with both sample materials.

Simple Summary: The EU-funded Welfare Quality® project generated species-specific assessment protocols to evaluate the welfare of pigs, poultry, and cattle. With the implementation to be used for certification purposes, it is important that the protocols show consistency over time, which describes the extent to which equal results are achieved if the assessment is performed repetitively. The protocols should not be sensitive to slight changes in the on-farm situation but mirror the long-term welfare situation on-farm. The present study aimed at testing this consistency over time of the indicators included in the 'Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets'. Thereby, the study focused on the indicators to assess the welfare principle 'appropriate behavior'. As a result, the indicators applied to assess the animals' 'appropriate behavior' did not represent consistency over time. Thus, further investigation is needed before implementation on-farm. Conclusively, the present study contributes to the development of generally accepted and objective assessment protocols for animal welfare and thereby to the improvement of farm animals' welfare overall. The present study's aim was to assess the test−retest reliability (TRR) of the 'Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets' focusing on the welfare principle 'appropriate behavior'. TRR was calculated using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), smallest detectable change (SDC), and limits of agreement (LoA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for deeper analysis of the Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA). The study was conducted on thirteen farms in Northern Germany, which were visited five times by the same observer. Farm visits 1 (F1; day 0) were compared to farm visits 2 to 5 (F2–F5). The QBA indicated no TRR when applying the statistical parameters introduced above (e.g., 'playful' (F1–F4) RS 0.08 ICC 0.00 SDC 0.50 LoA [−0.62, 0.38]). The PCA detected contradictory TRR. Acceptable TRR could be found for parts of the instantaneous scan sampling (e.g., negative social behavior (F1–F3) RS 0.45 ICC 0.37 SDC 0.02 LoA [−0.03, 0.02]). The human−animal relationship test solely achieved poor TRR, whereas scans for stereotypies showed sufficient TRR (e.g., floor licking (F1–F4) RS 0.63 ICC 0.52 SDC 0.05 LoA [−0.08, 0.04]). Concluding, the principle 'appropriate behavior' does not represent TRR and further investigation is needed before implementation on-farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany has been an officially bovine tuberculosis (bTB)-free (OTF) country since 1996. Gradually rising numbers of bTB herd incidents due to Mycobacterium bovis and M. caprae in North-Western and Southern Germany during the last few years prompted the competent authorities to conduct a nationwide bTB survey in 2013/2014. This led to the detection of a dairy herd in which as many as 55 cattle reacted positively to consecutive intra vitam testing. Test-positive animals lacked visible lesions indicative of bTB at necropsy. Extensive mycobacterial culturing as well as molecular testing of samples from 11 tissues for members of the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) yielded negative results throughout. However, caseous lymphadenitis of Ln. mandibularis accessorius was observed during meat inspection of a fattening pig from the same farm at regular slaughter at that time. Respective tissue samples tested MTC positive by polymerase chain reaction, and M. tuberculosis T1 family were identified by spoligotyping. Four human reactors within the farmer's family were also found to be immunoreactive. As exposure of livestock to M. tuberculosis is not generally considered, its impact may result in regulatory and practical difficulties when using protocols designed to detect classical bTB, particularly in OTF countries.