We conducted a survey of attitudes towards antimicrobial use and awareness of antimicrobial resistance among turkey and rabbit farmers (N ¼ 117 and N ¼ 41, respectively) in Italy's utmost turkey-and rabbit-producing region. We found either similarities or significant differences between these two livestock sectors. Most farmers of both groups (72% of turkey farmers vs 76% of rabbit farmers) reported that antimicrobials are properly used in their farms. Almost three-quarters of the farmers reported that antimicrobials solve the health problem treated for. However, 47% of turkey farmers and 78% of rabbit farmers reported that antimicrobial use could be decreased, with a 20-30% reduction being the most frequently chosen range. Genetic improvement was reported to be the main factor able to reduce antimicrobial use in turkeys, whereas improvements in feed quality and microclimate were the main factors for rabbits. Most farmers reported that high antimicrobial use may affect the quality of meat products and be hazardous to human health, but they also reported that antimicrobial resistance is mainly related to antimicrobial use in humans. In conclusion, turkey and rabbit farmers have a generally positive opinion on veterinary antimicrobial use, but also low levels of awareness of the negative impact on public health. Economic and structural factors of rabbit production industry may explain the differences observed. Farm veterinarians will be crucial to support farmers' education and the expected transition to lower antimicrobial use while maintaining high animal health/ welfare standards. HIGHLIGHTS 47% of turkey vs. 78% of rabbit farmers thought that antimicrobial use can be decreased A 20-30% reduction of antimicrobials was the most frequently supposed range Turkey and rabbit farmers showed a low level of awareness of the negative impact of antimicrobial usage in their farms on human health ARTICLE HISTORY

Mass mortalities due to disease outbreaks have recently affected a number of major taxa in marine ecosystems. Climate‐ and pollution‐induced stress may compromise host immune defenses, increasing the risk of opportunistic diseases. Despite growing evidence that mass mortality events affecting marine species worldwide are strongly influenced by the interplay of numerous environmental factors, the reductionist approaches most frequently used to investigate these factors hindered the interpretation of these multifactorial pathologies. In this study, we propose a broader approach based on the combination of RNA‐sequencing and 16S microbiota analyses to decipher the factors underlying mass mortality in the striped venus clam, Chamelea gallina, along the Adriatic coast. On one hand, gene expression profiling and functional analyses of microbial communities showed the over‐expression of several genes and molecular pathways involved in xenobiotic metabolism, suggesting potential chemical contamination in mortality sites. On the other hand, the down‐regulation of several genes involved in immune and stress response, and the over‐representation of opportunistic pathogens such as Vibrio and Photobacterium spp. indicates that these microbial species may take advantage of compromised host immune pathways and defense mechanisms that are potentially affected by chemical exposure, resulting in periodic mortality events. We propose the application of our approach to interpret and anticipate the risks inherent in the combined effects of pollutants and microbes on marine animals in today's rapidly changing environment.

Reliable indicators of antimicrobial consumption (AMC) measured with harmonised data and supported by indicators for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at herd level are necessary to target antimicrobial misuse in food-producing animals. AMC data in 2010-2015 in 32 Italian industrial rabbit holdings weighted with semester production and standardised with animal daily doses (ADDs) were collected. Herd-level AMR against eight antimicrobials was assessed in Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus hirae collected in 2014-2015. Escherichia coli were assessed for mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes. To produce 1 kg of live rabbit, a mean of 71.8 ADDs was used. Overall AMC reduced over time (P < 0.05) owing to lowering consumption of tetracyclines (P < 0.05) and colistin (P < 0.01), but consumption of quinolones (P < 0.05), bacitracin (P < 0.01) and sulfonamides (P = 0.017) increased. All except one indicator E. coli were wild-type for cefotaxime, whereas 97% displayed reduced susceptibility to tetracyclines, 89% to trimethoprim, 63% to enrofloxacin, 24% to chloramphenicol and 21% to colistin. mcr-1 was detected in 50/320 E. coli isolates from 15/32 holdings; mcr-2 was not detected in 58 isolates with colistin MIC ≥ 2 mg/L. All 305 enterococci were wild-type for ampicillin, ciprofloxacin and vancomycin and displayed reduced tetracycline susceptibility. The mean antimicrobial resistance index (ARI) was 0.5 for E. coli and 0.3 for enterococci. ARI was significantly correlated with AMC at herd level for enterococci (P = 0.008) but not E. coli where high ARI levels were found in a few holdings with low AMC.

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