Gastric lesions, a major issue in the pig industry, are caused by several factors, among which the usage of steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may play an important role, although poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between the estimated use of anti-inflammatory drugs at farm-level and the presence of gastric lesions in heavy pigs (slaughtered at ~170 kg live weight) at the slaughterhouse. The study was conducted in two commercial slaughterhouse located in Northern Italy in the period between October and December 2019. Batches of animals and pigs within-batch were randomly selected, and the stomachs were assigned to four gastric score categories based on the severity of the lesions (0=No lesions; 1=Hyperkeratosis; 2=Erosions; 3=Ulcers). Data on the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and farm size (number of pigs reared per year) were collected via the Italian CLASSYFARM System and the Italian Veterinary Database, respectively. The usage of anti-inflammatory drugs was estimated for each farm by calculating a treatment incidence 1000 (TI1000), which is the number of pigs under treatment with a specific active ingredient, on a given day, for each 1000 pigs housed in a farm. The correlation between anti-inflammatory drug consumption (expressed as TI1000) and farm size was tested through Spearman’s rank correlation. The variation in the farm-level scores of gastric lesions was analysed by a linear mixed model, with drug consumption values as explanatory variables and farm size as a random slope. Overall, the stomachs of 4184 pigs from 36 farms were included in the study, with 17.2%, 31.7%, 45.5% and 5.6% of them assigned a gastric score of 0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. At least one prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs was found in 29 out of 36 farms (80.6%). The median TI1000 of anti-inflammatory drug consumption was 0.45 (range: 0–31.6). NSAIDs were used on 20 farms (55.6%) with a median TI1000 of 0.07 (range: 0–30.1), while steroids were administered on 23 farms (63.9%) with a median TI1000 of 0.18 (range: 0–6.2). Gastric scores were positively associated with NSAIDs TI1000 (parameter estimate±SE = 0.032±0.015; F1, 32=4.38; p=0.044), while steroid usage had no significant effect on the presence of gastric ulcers. The results of this study show that NSAIDs should be carefully administered considering all the potential risk factors for gastric lesions. However, their use needs to be encouraged as a possible strategy to reduce antimicrobial consumption and improve animal welfare in pig farms.

Association between gastric lesions at the slaughterhouse and anti- inflammatory drug use in Italian heavy pigs / Ghidini, Sergio; DE LUCA, Silvio; Scali, Federico; Romeo1 Federica Guadagno, Claudia; Varrà, MARIA OLGA; Conter, Mauro; Ianieri, Adriana; Zanardi, Emanuela; Loris Alborali, Giovanni. - ELETTRONICO. - (2022), pp. 32-32. (Intervento presentato al convegno 2nd RIBMINS Scientific Conference – “Towards the Future of Meat Safety Assurance” tenutosi a Cordoba (SPAIN) nel 6-8 April 2022).

Association between gastric lesions at the slaughterhouse and anti- inflammatory drug use in Italian heavy pigs

Sergio Ghidini;Silvio De Luca;Maria Olga Varrà;Mauro Conter;Adriana Ianieri;Emanuela Zanardi;
2022-01-01

Abstract

Gastric lesions, a major issue in the pig industry, are caused by several factors, among which the usage of steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may play an important role, although poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between the estimated use of anti-inflammatory drugs at farm-level and the presence of gastric lesions in heavy pigs (slaughtered at ~170 kg live weight) at the slaughterhouse. The study was conducted in two commercial slaughterhouse located in Northern Italy in the period between October and December 2019. Batches of animals and pigs within-batch were randomly selected, and the stomachs were assigned to four gastric score categories based on the severity of the lesions (0=No lesions; 1=Hyperkeratosis; 2=Erosions; 3=Ulcers). Data on the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and farm size (number of pigs reared per year) were collected via the Italian CLASSYFARM System and the Italian Veterinary Database, respectively. The usage of anti-inflammatory drugs was estimated for each farm by calculating a treatment incidence 1000 (TI1000), which is the number of pigs under treatment with a specific active ingredient, on a given day, for each 1000 pigs housed in a farm. The correlation between anti-inflammatory drug consumption (expressed as TI1000) and farm size was tested through Spearman’s rank correlation. The variation in the farm-level scores of gastric lesions was analysed by a linear mixed model, with drug consumption values as explanatory variables and farm size as a random slope. Overall, the stomachs of 4184 pigs from 36 farms were included in the study, with 17.2%, 31.7%, 45.5% and 5.6% of them assigned a gastric score of 0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. At least one prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs was found in 29 out of 36 farms (80.6%). The median TI1000 of anti-inflammatory drug consumption was 0.45 (range: 0–31.6). NSAIDs were used on 20 farms (55.6%) with a median TI1000 of 0.07 (range: 0–30.1), while steroids were administered on 23 farms (63.9%) with a median TI1000 of 0.18 (range: 0–6.2). Gastric scores were positively associated with NSAIDs TI1000 (parameter estimate±SE = 0.032±0.015; F1, 32=4.38; p=0.044), while steroid usage had no significant effect on the presence of gastric ulcers. The results of this study show that NSAIDs should be carefully administered considering all the potential risk factors for gastric lesions. However, their use needs to be encouraged as a possible strategy to reduce antimicrobial consumption and improve animal welfare in pig farms.
2022
Association between gastric lesions at the slaughterhouse and anti- inflammatory drug use in Italian heavy pigs / Ghidini, Sergio; DE LUCA, Silvio; Scali, Federico; Romeo1 Federica Guadagno, Claudia; Varrà, MARIA OLGA; Conter, Mauro; Ianieri, Adriana; Zanardi, Emanuela; Loris Alborali, Giovanni. - ELETTRONICO. - (2022), pp. 32-32. (Intervento presentato al convegno 2nd RIBMINS Scientific Conference – “Towards the Future of Meat Safety Assurance” tenutosi a Cordoba (SPAIN) nel 6-8 April 2022).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2921118
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