CIPARS
General
The
Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS)
of the Public Health Agency of Canada monitors AMU in animals, as well as AMR
in select bacteria from humans, animals, and food. CIPARS has active
surveillance of AMU on volunteer sentinel farms for grower-finisher pigs, broiler
chickens, and turkeys, with AMU research underway in other animal species or
production stages. Farm-level surveillance started in 2006 for grower-finisher pigs,
expanded in 2013 for broiler chickens and includes a pilot project for turkeys.
Data collection
AMU data are collected
from a sample of farms using a questionnaire. The number of farms sampled each
year is approximately 100 for pigs, 140 for chickens, and 75 for turkeys.
Selection criteria:
Swine: Herds must be Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA®) validated, produce more than 2000 market pigs per year, and be representative of the characteristics and geographic distribution of herds in the veterinarian’s swine practice. Exclusion criteria include 1) being regarded as organic, 2) animals having been fed edible residual material or 3) the animals were raised on pasture.
Broiler chickens: The inclusion criteria involve being ‘Safe, Safer, Safest™’ compliant and a quota-holding broiler operation. Selected flocks are reflective of the veterinarian’s practice profile, representative of hatcheries supplying chicks, and representative of feed mills supplying feeds in the province/region. Exclusion criteria include being a pasture, backyard or small-sized farm. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are similar for turkeys.
Animal subcategories: AMU information for pigs is collected from the grower-finisher production stage and for chickens from the broiler stage of production; the questionnaire does also request information (if known) about AMU at the hatchery-level.
Input: Data are manually provided to CIPARS by the veterinarians who administer the questionnaire to the farmers.
Selection criteria:
Swine: Herds must be Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA®) validated, produce more than 2000 market pigs per year, and be representative of the characteristics and geographic distribution of herds in the veterinarian’s swine practice. Exclusion criteria include 1) being regarded as organic, 2) animals having been fed edible residual material or 3) the animals were raised on pasture.
Broiler chickens: The inclusion criteria involve being ‘Safe, Safer, Safest™’ compliant and a quota-holding broiler operation. Selected flocks are reflective of the veterinarian’s practice profile, representative of hatcheries supplying chicks, and representative of feed mills supplying feeds in the province/region. Exclusion criteria include being a pasture, backyard or small-sized farm. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are similar for turkeys.
Animal subcategories: AMU information for pigs is collected from the grower-finisher production stage and for chickens from the broiler stage of production; the questionnaire does also request information (if known) about AMU at the hatchery-level.
Input: Data are manually provided to CIPARS by the veterinarians who administer the questionnaire to the farmers.
Analysis
Analysis
is conducted using count-based, weight-based and dose-based units of
measurement and indicators. Both Canadian and EMA[1]
standards for the average daily dose are used. The animal weights to determine
the kg animal at risk of treatment are from EMA[2]
or specific to Canada, based on input from the Canadian industry.
Benchmarking & Reporting
CIPARS does not perform farm-level
benchmarking at the moment.
Annual results are communicated to the farm industries and veterinarians. CIPARS hosts a multi-commodity stakeholder webinar during the Global Antibiotic Awareness Week each year. When emerging issues are identified, CIPARS communicates these findings via surveillance bulletins and/or holds ad hoc meetings with affected parties. CIPARS also presents findings at local, national, and international fora and publishes select findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Annual results are communicated to the farm industries and veterinarians. CIPARS hosts a multi-commodity stakeholder webinar during the Global Antibiotic Awareness Week each year. When emerging issues are identified, CIPARS communicates these findings via surveillance bulletins and/or holds ad hoc meetings with affected parties. CIPARS also presents findings at local, national, and international fora and publishes select findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Stewardship
CIPARS
farm-level surveillance indicated that a change in antimicrobial use policy on
broiler chicken farms across Canada appears to be having the desired goal of
reducing use of critically important antimicrobials, in particular the use of
3rd generation cephalosporins (see figure below).
