In 2022, the manure and nose of veal calves at 180 Dutch farms will be examined. 55 veal farmers, family members and employees were also examined to determine whether they carry the pathogens. The RIVM, the NVWA and Wageningen Food Safety Research conducted this research. Campylobacter was the most common and was found on 96% of the farms.
The research focuses on various disease-causing bacteria. The most important are Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains, Listeria and Salmonella. In addition, Extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing bacteria, colistin-resistant bacteria and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were examined. The latter are important because many types of antibiotics do not work against them.
Most of these pathogens can cause diarrhea in humans, but infections can be more serious in people with fragile health. The pathogens are usually found in the intestines of the animals and therefore also in the manure. The meat can become contaminated during slaughter.
Campylobacter was the most common and was found on 96% of the farms. This bacterium was found in 5 people among livestock farmers and family members. These were different types of Campylobacter bacteria than those carried by the animals on the associated farms. These people may have become infected with Campylobacter in some other way, for example through food or other animals.
STEC bacteria, Listeria and Salmonella were somewhat less common, namely in 66%, 20% and 15% of the companies respectively. These 3 bacteria are found more often on farms with pink calves than on farms with white calves. Two people carried STEC and one participant carried Listeria. Salmonella was not found among the participants.
ESBL-producing bacteria were found at 27% of the companies and in 3 participants. The percentage among participants is approximately the same as among the Dutch population. Livestock-related MRSA was found on 25% of the farms, more often on farms with white calves, and in 13% of the participants; this is higher than MRSA in the Dutch population. Finally, colistin-resistant bacteria were found at 2% of the companies, but not among the participants. This is 0.8% of the population.
More information can be found in the publication ‘Surveillance of zoonoses in veal calves 2022‘.
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2023-10-09 19:11:49
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