Abstract：
The global food animal industry faces a growing concern regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), primarily driven by the use of antimicrobials (AM) for the treatment, control, and prevention of diseases. Addressing this challenge requires promoting responsible antimicrobial use (AMU) practices. In 2019, the province of Québec, Canada, took a significant step by implementing a regulation that limits the use of AM of very high importance for human medicine (category I AM as defined by Health Canada) in the food animal industry. However, the implementation of such regulation can significantly influence behavioral shifts among producers, contributing to the wider effort against AMR. Therefore, the objective of this observational study was to describe the perceived changes in dairy producers\' knowledge and on-farm practices following the implementation of this regulation, using a cohort design. Data collection involved administering questionnaires to 87 dairy producers from 3 regions of the province of Québec (Estrie, Montérégie, Centre-Du-Québec) before (2017-2018) and after (2020-2021) the implementation of the regulation. The questionnaires explored the descriptive characteristics of farms, the knowledge of producers about the categorization of AM, the on-farm treatment practices, and the perceived effects of the regulation. Statistical analysis included t-tests and McNemar tests to compare the paired data obtained using the 2 questionnaires. The results indicated an increase in the knowledge score (the number of AM correctly categorized by the producers by their importance for human medicine) after the implementation of the regulation, suggesting an improved understanding of the categorization of AM based on their importance for human medicine. Trends in AMU practices for treating clinical mastitis and reproductive diseases suggested that category I AM were less likely to be reported as the primary treatment after the regulation, whereas category II AM were more often reported as primary treatment. Adoption of the selective dry cow therapy method significantly increased, whereas the use of teat sealants remained unchanged. Moreover, producers had divergent perceptions regarding the effect of the regulation on the cure rates and disease frequencies. This disparity emphasizes the need for comprehensive data collection to discern the risks associated with such regulatory shifts. The study acknowledges several limitations, including the potential for recall bias, confirmation bias, and desirability bias. Despite these limitations, this study shows that implementing regulations to encourage responsible AMU drives positive transformations in producers\' knowledge and on-farm practices. This underscores the pivotal effect of proactive interventions in combating the escalating threat of AMR within the global food animal industry.
摘要：
全球食用动物行业面临着越来越多的关于抗菌素耐药性(AMR)的担忧，主要是由使用抗菌药物（AMs）进行治疗，control,和预防疾病。应对这一挑战需要促进负责任的抗微生物剂使用(AMU)实践。2019年，魁北克省，加拿大,采取了重要的一步，实施了一项法规，该法规限制了在食品动物行业中对人类医学非常重要的AMs（加拿大卫生部定义的I类AMs）的使用。然而,这种监管的实施可以显著影响生产者之间的行为转变，为反对AMR的更广泛努力做出贡献。因此,这项观察性研究的目的是描述在实施本法规后，乳制品生产者和农场实践的知识变化。使用队列设计。数据收集涉及对来自魁北克省3个地区的87家乳制品生产商进行问卷调查（Estrie，Montérégie,Centre-Du-Québec）在（2017-2018年）和（2020-2021年）实施该法规之前。问卷探讨了农场的描述性特征，生产者关于AM分类的知识，他们的农场治疗实践，以及监管的感知影响。统计分析包括t检验和McNemar检验，以比较使用2份问卷获得的配对数据。结果表明，在实施法规后，知识得分（生产者根据其对人类医学的重要性正确分类的AMs数量）有所增加，基于AM对人类医学的重要性，建议对AM的分类有更好的理解。AMU治疗临床乳腺炎和生殖疾病的实践趋势表明，I类AMs不太可能被报告为法规后的主要治疗方法。而II类AMs更常被报告为主要治疗。采用选择性干牛治疗方法显著增加，而乳头密封剂的使用保持不变。此外，生产者对该法规对治愈率和疾病频率的影响有不同的看法。这种差异强调需要全面的数据收集来辨别与这种监管转变相关的风险。这项研究承认了一些局限性，包括召回偏差的可能性，确认偏差，和可取性偏见。尽管有这些限制,这项研究表明，实施法规以鼓励负责任的AMU推动生产者知识和农场实践的积极转变。这凸显了积极干预措施在应对全球食用动物行业不断升级的AMR威胁方面的关键影响。
