
Denmark Raises Antibiotic-Free Pigs. Why Can’t the U.S.? - vo2maxer
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/06/health/pigs-antibiotics-denmark.html
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kwhitefoot
Denmark only does this because of public pressure. Until recently, or perhaps
even now, Denmark had a dangerously high use of antibiotics in livestock
production using far more in routine dosing of livestock than in treating
humans.

European countries are getting serious about the threat of antibiotic
resistance, the US not so much.

By the way: you can use Firefox reader mode to read the article.

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martin_bech
As a Dane.. Denmark raises a crazy amount of pigs, most are filled with
antibiotics and a lot have MRSA.

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vo2maxer
Please, can you quote a source so that those who’re interested may contrast
between the claims in the article and your observation? Thank you.

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DoingIsLearning
"Despite a national action plan to control LA-MRSA in the Danish pig
population, 88% of pig herds tested positive in a 2016 cross-sectional study
of 57 herds."

Ref:[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8)

Also although I cannot reference it, I also recall a documentary on MRSA cases
jumping from livestock to Humans in Denmark, it was mostly farm and abattoir
workers.

I am not one to disagree that we need to reduce antibiotics on livestock as a
whole. But the reality is that this is likely hard to achieve without
decreasing the population density of livestock per square meter in farms and
that is likely to not be possible at the price point people are willing to
accept to buy meat. So something eventually will have to give or nature will
take it's course and find a way.

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vo2maxer
The study quoted [1] is a simulation study of LA-MRSA among Danish pig herds
between 2006 and 2015. The study concludes: “Combinations of control measures
reduced the spread of LA-MRSA, especially when all four strategies were
combined. Using an extreme scenario including limiting the use of high-risk
antibiotics, reducing the risk of spread via indirect contact by 75%,
implementing movement restriction and culling a percentage of positive herds
led to a prevalence reduction to only 6% with initiation in 2007 or 13% in
2010.”

Now compare that with the reduction in antibiotic use during 2015-2018 [2] and
there seems to be no reason why it would go back to historically high levels.
There should be optimism that in such a relatively short time, significant
changes can happen. The main thrust of the Times article is precisely that.

[1]
[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37075-8)

[2]
[https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/...](https://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/english/Animal/MRSA/Pages/Low_use_of_antibiotic_in_Denmark.aspx)

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throwawayhhakdl
The article doesn’t really highlight this but anti biotic use on livestock
isn’t just to keep them from being sick. It also causes growth, which means
each animal is more profitable.

