Feeding untreated and pasteurized waste milk and bulk milk to calves: effects on calf performance, health status and antibiotic resistance of faecal bacteria.

Non-saleable milk (waste milk, WM) is contaminated with an undefined spectrum of potentially harmful pathogens and antimicrobial residues. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of feeding bulk milk (BM) or WM - both pasteurized or not - on calf performance, health and the antibiotic resistance of specific faecal bacteria. A total of 114 calves from a large-scale dairy were housed outdoors in individual hutches and were randomly assigned to one of four feeding groups. The calves were fed either WM, pasteurized WM (pWM), BM or pasteurized BM (pBM) from day 3 to 56 of life. Milk samples taken from the pasteurizer and calves' nipple buckets were investigated at regular intervals for total plate count and counts of thermoduric bacteria, coliforms and mastitis pathogens. Faecal samples were taken on days 2, 14, 28 and 56 of life from randomly selected calves of the WM, pWM and BM groups (each N = 8-9) and processed to obtain from each sample preferably two isolates of Escherichia (E.) coli and Enterococcus spp. respectively. Isolates were tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility to 25 antimicrobial agents by broth microdilution. Daily weight gain, milk and calf starter intake and health parameters did not differ significantly between the calves of the four feeding groups. The proportion of resistant E. coli isolates was significantly higher in calves fed WM and in calves fed pWM (most pronounced for cephalosporins) than in calves receiving BM. No differences in resistance were found for Enterococus spp. Thus, the concerns for selecting resistant faecal bacteria by feeding WM seem to be justified. Nonetheless, pasteurized WM of cows not treated with antimicrobials represents an acceptable feed for young calves.

Detection of incurred dihydrostreptomycin residues in milk by liquid chromatography and preliminary confirmation methods.

An LC method for the determination of the aminoglycosides streptomycin (STR) and dihydrostreptomycin (DHS) in milk was developed/modified on the basis of published papers. Mean recoveries were 87 and 95% for STR and DHS, respectively. Recoveries are dependent on the concentration level and batch of solid-phase extraction columns used, and independent of fat content and homogenization. The relative standard deviations are 15.6 and 9.6% for STR and DHS, respectively, at a level of 100 micrograms kg-1. Limits of detection (8 and 12 micrograms kg-1, respectively) and quantification (12 and 18 micrograms kg-1, respectively) are far below the EU maximum residue limit of 200 micrograms kg-1. Lyophilized DHS samples can be used for internal control of the analysis as the DHS concentration is not influenced by the lyophilization process and subsequent storage at 6 degrees C. In incurred milk samples no false negative results of preliminary confirmation tests (Charm II Aminoglycoside test, Ridascreen Streptomycin ELISA) with respect to DHS concentrations > or = 20 micrograms kg-1 as determined by the LC method are observed. DHS concentrations of incurred samples determined by ELISA are higher than those obtained by the LC method. These differences were more pronounced with incurred than with spiked milk samples, thus leading to the conclusion that in incurred samples substances are present which co-react in the ELISA and which are not detected by the LC method.