Irrational use of antimicrobials is a major problem worldwide. The comprehensiveness of the existing legislation and veterinary pharmaceutical regulatory system has been critically evaluated and its practical implementation was assessed in this study. A cross-sectional survey study, and an in-depth interview of key informants involving the layer and pig farm owners/managers of farms located in Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Chonburi Provinces were conducted. The Thai FDA is responsible for pre-marketing and authorizes relevant officials of DLD to enforce drug acts related to the post-marketing of veterinary drugs/biologics. These existing legislations and regulations were comprehensive enough to cover all areas of pharmaceutical activities developed to protect the health of the public and animals in the country; however, the enforcement of these rules may not be properly enforced or may be ineffectively executed. Rules regarding veterinary pharmaceuticals being distributed throughout the country have not been clearly stated. Farmers can easily access veterinary pharmaceuticals, and veterinarian prescriptions were not needed. Additionally, the relevant benefits were among the most important reasons for choosing to use antimicrobials on farms, along with a lack of availability of better alternative products for the treatment of infections. Intensive legislation and regulation enforcement were considered to be the most effective means of reducing antimicrobial usage and abuse in Thailand.

No abstract

Salmonella is a prevalent zoonotic foodborne pathogen. Swine and pork are implicated as important sources of salmonellosis in humans. In Chiang Mai and Lamphun Provinces in northern Thailand, there has been a high prevalence of Salmonella persistence for over a decade. Infection is usually with dominant S. enterica serotypes, including serotypes Rissen and 1,4,[5],12:i:-. However, other serotypes also contribute to disease but are less well characterized. The whole genome sequencing data of 43 S. enterica serotypes isolated from pork production chain through 2011–2014, were used to evaluate genetic diversity and ascertain the possible source of Salmonella contamination based on Core Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (cgMLST) approach. The Salmonella serotypes recovered from farms and slaughterhouses were re-circulating by swine environmental contamination. Conversely, the Salmonella contamination in the retail market represents cross-contamination from multiple sources, including contaminated foodstuffs. Salmonella contamination in the pork production chain has the competency for host cell adhesion, host cell invasion, and intracellular survival, which is enough for the pathogenicity of salmonellosis. In addition, all of these isolates were multi-drug resistant Salmonella, which contained at least 10 antimicrobial resistance genes. This result indicated that these S. enterica serotypes also pose a significant public health risk. Our findings support the need for appropriate surveillance of food-animal products going to market to reduce public exposure to highly pathogenic, multi-drug resistant Salmonella. Acquiring information would motivate all stakeholders to reinforce sanitation standards throughout the pork production chain in order to eradicate Salmonella contamination and reduce the risk of salmonellosis in humans.

Salmonella is a frequent zoonotic foodborne pathogen, with swine and pork meats the most common source of human infection. In Chiang Mai and Lamphun Province in northern Thailand, there has been a high prevalence of salmonellosis for over a decade. Infection is usually with several dominant S. enterica serotypes, including serotypes Rissen and Monophasic Typhimurium. However, several less common serotypes also contribute to disease. Whole genome sequencing of 43 of these less common S. enterica serotypes isolated from the pork production chain through 2011-2014 were used to evaluate their genetic diversity and virulence potential. Salmonella contamination at local retail markets represented cross-contamination from multiple sources, including decontaminated foodstuff. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of host cell adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival for the development of clinical salmonellosis. We screened our dataset for known virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance genes, identifying at least 10 antimicrobial resistance genes in all isolates. These results indicate that these less common S. enterica serotypes also pose a significant public health risk. Our findings support the need for appropriate surveillance of food products going to market to reduce public exposure to highly pathogenic, multi-drug resistant Salmonella. Surveillance throughout the pork production chain would motivate stakeholders to reinforce sanitation standards and help reduce the risk of salmonellosis in humans.

Introduction: The northern region of Thailand serves as a crucial area for swine production, contributing to the global food supply. Previous studies have highlighted the presence of foodborne pathogens originating from swine farms in this region, posing a threat to both human and animal health. Gap statement: Multiple swine pathogens have been studied at a species level, but the distribution and co-occurrence of pathogens in agricultural swine has not been well established. Aim: Our study employed the intestinal scraping technique to directly examine the microorganisms interacting with the swine host. Methodology: We used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyse the caecal microbiomes of swine from five commercial farms in northern Thailand. Results: Swine caecal microbiomes contained commensal bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Faecalibacterium, which are associated with healthy physiology and feed utilisation. We also identified multiple pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria present in all samples, including Escherichia coli, Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus, and the Corynebacterium genus. From a One Health perspective, these species are important foodborne and opportunistic pathogens in both humans and agricultural animals. Antimicrobial resistance genes were also detected in all samples, specifically conferring resistance to tetracycline and aminoglycosides which have historically been used extensively in swine farming. Conclusion: The findings further support the need for improved sanitation standards in swine farms, and additional monitoring of agricultural animals and farm workers to reduce contamination and improved produce safety for human consumption.