Resistance Data Veterinary Medicine
Resistance monitoring in zoonotic and indicator bacteria of healthy slaughter animals was harmonized EU-wide in 2014
Antibiotic resistance among commensal bacteria from the intestinal flora and fresh meat of healthy food-producing animals can be used as an “indicator” for factors such as the selective pressure from use of antibiotic agents in these populations. These bacteria constitute a reservoir of potentially transferable resistance genes that can spread horizontally to other bacteria, including zoonotic bacteria. And given the risk of compromising the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments of infections in humans, it is of special importance to monitor antibiotic resistance in zoonotic bacteria isolated from animals.
Monitoring antibiotic resistance in these bacteria provides information about the types of resistance present in intestinal bacteria and fresh meat of food-producing animals. This information can then potentially be of relevance in studying antibiotic resistance in bacteria present in humans. Therefore, such monitoring is relevant to both public and animal health. It also serves as a valuable early-warning system to help identify emerging types of resistance in livestock populations and to monitor their potential spread.
With the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the last decades in human and veterinary medicine, the monitoring was expanded to ESBL/AmpC-producing and carbapenemase-producing E. coli and, since 2020, to carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella spp. Because of its importance in humane medicine, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a commensal bacterium that can be found in soft tissues of healthy animals, is included in the antibiotic resistance monitoring for pigs and calves.
Animals
Cattle
Pigs
Chicken
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Monitoring of antibiotic resistance for relevant pathogens from diseased livestock and companion animals is important for veterinarians. It enables them to make appropriate choices regarding antibiotic therapies, which they often cannot base on an antibiogram prior to the first treatment. Moreover, these data fill another important gap regarding monitoring of antibiotic resistance from the One Health perspective.
In 2019, an annual monitoring of antibiotic resistance in veterinary pathogens was initiated by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and implemented at the Swiss national reference laboratory for antimicrobial resistance (ZOBA). The sampling plan was consolidated in 2022 to include pathogen/animal and indication combinations which are of relevance in veterinary medicine.
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This website presents aggregated resistance data for diseased animals in Switzerland. The data are updated annually. Key trends are published regularly in the ArCH-Vet Report. Trends or changes in the epidemiological situation are also published and commented on under Links/Literature.
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The ANRESIS-guide
This online tool provides quick and intuitive access to the latest data on antibiotic resistance in Swiss animal disease pathogens and supports the veterinary profession with reliable empirical treatment options.
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Find the latest results of AMR monitoring systems in Switzerland:
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