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<ol> <li>Determine the effect of antimicrobial therapy for treatment of clinical and subclinical mastitis on the development of antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae present in feces of dairy cattle.
<li>Develop and apply prudent antimicrobial-use guidelines specific for clincial and subclinical mastitis therapy in dairy cattle populations.
<li>Disseminate thes guidelines and supporting information to dairy producers adn veterinarians serving dairy herd clients. </ol>
Antimicrobial drugs are commonly used in food animal production for the treatment of disease adn the enhancement of animal production. Recently, this use has been implicated as a potential cause for emergence of antimicrobial-restistant bacteria of public health concern.
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The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of antimicrobial treatment on the development of resistance in bacteria present in cattle, develop and apply prudent antimicrobial-use guidelines specific for dairy cattle and to disseminate these guidelines to dairy producers and their veterinarians.
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<ol> <li>Use prospective longitudinal monitoring of dairy cattle populations to investigate the impact of standard antimicrobial use practices in dairy herds on the development of antimicrobial resistance of enteric bacteria in dairy cattle populations.
<li>Collaborate with dairy producers and their herd veterinarians who are active participants in the study to interpret the research results and develop appropriate and practical prudent antimicrobial-use guidelines for dairy cattle populations. </ol>