The ALEX algorithm - estimating average lifetime antimicrobial exposure of danish slaughter pigs in a fast, automated and robust way.

Abstract

Calculating and estimating antimicrobial exposure at specific batch level is key to understanding consumption patterns of antimicrobials in the Danish pig sector. Understanding consumption and trading patterns can assist in developing treatment plans at national levels and might lead to reducing antimicrobial resistance levels. The ALEX algorithm is a fast, automated and robust algorithm developed to estimate the average lifetime antimicrobial exposure of Danish slaughter pigs. The algorithm estimates antimicrobial exposure in the different life stages of the pig (piglet, weaner and finisher) together with the type of production network (the number of farms within a network and ownership of these). We present the algorithm and give two examples of usage. Furthermore, we compare the ALEX algorithm with an acknowledged exposure estimation algorithm, and we present a sensitivity analysis.