Understanding Antibiotic Resistance as a Perceived Threat towards Dairy Cattle through Beliefs and Practices: A Survey-Based Study of Dairy Farmers

Abstract

Antibiotic use is an important component in dairy herd management both to treat bacterial diseases and to maximize animal welfare. However, there is concern among scientists that antibiotic misuse and/or overuse by farmers might promote the emergence of resistant pathogens. We conducted a cross-sectional web-based questionnaire study with dairy farmers/managers in New York, USA to evaluate their (i) level of concern about antibiotic resistance and (ii) interest in adopting new judicious antibiotic use practices regarding mastitis treatment. A total of 118 responses were subjected to statistical analysis. The findings revealed that nearly half (45%) of study participants were undecided or disagreed that antibiotic resistance due to antibiotic use in dairy farming may negatively impact the health of dairy cattle. In contrast, the majority (78%) of participants self-reported that they do not treat with antibiotics at the first sign of mastitis, and the majority (66%) have either fully or partially implemented culture-based mastitis treatment on their farm. The self-reported adoption of culture-based mastitis treatment practices was statistically significantly associated with higher numbers of injectable and intramammary doses of antibiotics used on the participants' farms. These findings will aid future research investigations on how to promote sustainable antibiotic use practices in dairy cattle.

Keywords: antibiotic resistance; attitudes; culture-based mastitis treatment; dairy farmer; judicious antibiotic use; questionnaire.

Figure 1

Heatmap of responses Q19, “How important are each of the following when deciding to WAIT to give antibiotics after the first sign of mastitis?” This question was only displayed to 72 out of 91 respondents who answered either “Strongly disagree” or “Disagree” to Q18 (FIRST SIGN MASTITIS). Farmers ranked each factor individually along the scale from “Not at all important” to “Extremely important.”.

Figure 2

Heatmap of Q21, “How important are each of the following when deciding to give antibiotics at the first sign of mastitis?” Farmers ranked each factor individually along the scale from “Not at all important” to “Extremely important.” All farmers were displayed this question.