Práticas de biosseguridade e uso de antimicrobianos em granjas suínas no município de Pará de Minas - MG

Abstract

Biosecurity Practices and Use of Antimicrobials in Swine Farms in the Municipality of Pará de Minas – MG. Biosecurity and the use of antimicrobials in swine production are topics of concern worldwide for all theireffects on animal and public health. The Pará de Minas municipality is an intensive pig farming hub in the state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast region of Brazil. This research aimed to analysing the implementation of several aspects of Biosecurity and the use of antimicrobials in commercial pig farms with farrow-to-finish production system in Pará de Minas and possible correlations between these factors. Questionnaires were applied in 29 farms, with 22 to 3,200 matrixes, totaling 99.38% of the sows in the municipality. Sixteen aspects of Biosecurity adopted on the farms were rated, composing scores for classification. The use of antimicrobials was calculated in mg of active principles per kg of swine produced. As a result, the farms were classified as High to Medium-High health risk because, although they apply some external and internal Biosecurity measures, they do so inadequately, without a systematized plan. Twenty-eight antimicrobials used for preventive purposes were mentioned. On average, the farms use 7.41 active principles, exposing the piglets for 116.55 days, totaling 434.17 mg/kg of swine. Eight of those active ingredients made up 77.5% of the total amount of antimicrobials used in the studied farms (Amoxicillin, Tiamulin, Oxytetracycline, Florfenicol, Lincomycin, Tylosin, Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin). The exposure of piglets at different ages and daily doses of antimicrobials used in greater quantities on farms shows their prolonged use. Data were treated descriptively, followed by Spearman's univariate correlation analysis. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the variables, Biosecurity score and Number of matrices, Antimicrobial level and Number of bases, Number of bases and Number of matrices, and certainly the most important, between Productivity and Score of biosecurity (p=0.0052). Moving on to a multivariate analysis (principal component analysis – PCA) resulted in two dimensions explaining 66.1% of the data variance, and subsequently the formation of four hierarchical groups (clusters) on principal components - HCPC), paying attention to the cluster 3 that differs for having the highest Biosecurity score, on average. When comparing means using ANOVA and Tukey Test, there was significance between Cluster 3 and the dependent variable Daily weight gain from birth to slaughter (p=0.0097). Using a multiple linear regression analysis (stepwise regression), we obtain the Biosecurity Score as the variable that best explains the Daily Weight Gain and Productivity, regardless of the other variables. The use of antimicrobials was considered excessive in the pig farms in the municipality of Pará de Minas compared to what has been reported in Brazil and other countries. No correlation was found between the use of antimicrobials and productivity. As for Biosecurity, most farms were classified as High Risk and Medium-High Risk and there was a correlation with farm productivity, in kg of swine produced, per sow, per year. Therefore, higher Biosecurity scores allow for greater productivity.