Preventive veterinary medicine最新文献

{"title":"Integration of empirical network data and agent-based modelling to examine the risk of equine influenza infection in equine athletes in Ontario, Canada","authors":"G. Turcotte ,&nbsp;T.L. O’Sullivan ,&nbsp;T.M. Rossi ,&nbsp;K.L. Spence ,&nbsp;C.B. Winder ,&nbsp;A.L. Greer","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106665","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106665","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Horses are frequently transported, creating opportunities for the spread of pathogens. Disease transmission models for equine infectious diseases face limitations on their generalizability due to challenges in describing equine movement and the structure of their contact networks beyond simplistic assumptions. This study aimed to combine a stochastic, agent-based, SEIR model for equine influenza disease dynamics with an observed Ontario, Canada equine contact network structure to quantify the potential magnitude of equine influenza outbreaks in Ontario competition horses under different conditions. Different interventions were modelled to help provide insight into the impacts of biosecurity practices to mitigate population risk. Eight scenarios with different levels of vaccination (42.5–95 %) and horse contact rates (normal distributions with means of 2 and 5) were simulated within the competition network. Outcomes of interest for each scenario included attack rate, number of infected home facilities, number of infected competitions, and outbreak duration. For each scenario, 200 stochastic iterations were performed. The results demonstrate that decreasing contact between horses was more effective at reducing key outcome indicators (attack rate, number of home facilities with infected horses, number of competitions with infected horses) compared to any change in vaccination coverage among the non-competitor horse population. This model integrating disease dynamics of equine influenza and a parameterization of an Ontario competition network outlines the importance of the role of contact-related behaviours when discussing biosecurity risk mitigation measures for populations of Ontario equine athletes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106665"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the role of animal welfare in cow performance and farm profitability in Italian dairy herds","authors":"Silvia Sabbadin ,&nbsp;Angela Costa ,&nbsp;Valentina Lorenzi ,&nbsp;Francesca Fusi ,&nbsp;Luigi Bertocchi ,&nbsp;Silvia Magro ,&nbsp;Massimo De Marchi","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Good welfare supports dairy herd health, enhances milk production and quality, and offers financial incentives for farmers committed to animal welfare. In Italy, the ClassyFarm system assesses dairy herd welfare through the evaluation of farm biosecurity, management, structures, and animal-based measures. Dairy farms with loose housing systems (LHS) and tied housing systems (THS) are evaluated using distinct ClassyFarm checklists, and an algorithm generates an overall welfare score ranging from 0 % (poor welfare) to 100 % (excellent welfare). Analysing 434 farms of Holstein and Simmental cows in north-eastern Italy, we explored whether housing systems (LHS and THS) and breed composition (single- vs. multi-breed herds) influence welfare scores as assessed by ClassyFarm. Additionally, we investigated whether milk quality and production differ in cows exposed to different welfare levels, considering 4 subsets: Holstein in LHS, Holstein in THS, Simmental in LHS, and Simmental in THS. Holstein single-breed herds achieved higher management (82.10 ± 1.78 %) and biosecurity scores (58.50 ± 2.44 %). Simmental single-breed herds scored highest in animal-based measures (87.90 ± 1.61 %), while multi-breed herds generally obtained lower scores than single-breed farms. Herds with higher management and biosecurity scores were associated with greater milk yield, milk quality, and economic returns, indicating that farmers who prioritize high welfare standards for their dairy herds may improve overall farm profitability. Our findings confirm the direct importance of investing resources in dairy cows’ welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144989123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Retrospective analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility testing illustrates the problem of resistant Staphylococcus species in cats in the northeastern United States","authors":"Claudia Cobo-Angel ,&nbsp;Cassandra Guarino ,&nbsp;Melissa Aprea ,&nbsp;Kevin J. Cummings ,&nbsp;Casey L. Cazer","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Staphylococcus</em> infections are a concern in both human and veterinary medicine due to their zoonotic potential, ability to cause a spectrum of diseases, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study retrospectively analyzed AMR among 1278 <em>Staphylococcus</em> isolates obtained from cats over 15 years, primarily from the northeastern United States. <em>Staphylococcus felis</em> (26 %), <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (22 %), and <em>Staphylococcus pseudintermedius</em> (15 %) were the predominant species. The most common isolation sites were skin and soft tissue (52 %) and urinary tract (22 %). Resistance to at least one antimicrobial was seen in 54 % of isolates. <em>S. pseudintermedius</em> displayed the lowest proportion of susceptibility overall. Susceptibility was lowest overall to penicillin (48 %), followed by ampicillin (49 %) and erythromycin (62 %), while susceptibility was highest to vancomycin and rifampin (≥99 %). The overall prevalence of multidrug resistance was 19 %, most common among <em>S. pseudintermedius</em> isolates (46 %). Survival models revealed increased minimum inhibitory concentrations for several antimicrobials in 2018–2022 compared to 2008–2012. Compared to coagulase-negative staphylococcal species, <em>S. pseudintermedius</em> had higher MICs for β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, doxycycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. <em>S. felis</em> had the highest susceptibilities and lowest MICs. This study underscores the significance of AMR and MDR in feline medicine and One Health. The findings emphasize the need for vigilant AMR surveillance in veterinary practices and antimicrobial stewardship in companion animal medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144911674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sow mortality in Danish herds – Differences between production systems, annual and seasonal trends and association to herd sizes","authors":"H. Kongsted,&nbsp;M.A. Krogh","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Housing and management are likely to play a role in sow mortality. Therefore, it is of interest to scrutinize differences in mortality rates between systems that are markedly different on these parameters. In this study, we used Danish national databases to extract data from all organic and conventional sow herds in the period 2015–22 to model mortality rates in conventional and organic systems. Furthermore, we used temperature data to investigate potential associations between summer season and temperatures on sow mortality in each of the two systems. Finally, for the conventional system we investigated potential associations with herd size. In both systems we saw a marked variability in mortality rates between herds. During the first four years of the study period mortality rates in the two systems were similar - approximately 10 % of sows died per year. From 2018 and onwards, mortality rates in conventional herds increased and reached an average of 14.4 % in 2022. In this system, we found a positive correlation between herd size and sow mortality. In organic herds, the mortality rate stayed at 10 % throughout the study period. In both systems, mortality rates were higher in the summer months, but only in the organic system the increase seemed to be associated with high temperatures. Our results indicate that sow mortality is associated with management and housing factors. They confirm that sow mortality is slightly higher in the summer months but point out that other factors than high temperatures seem to impact the sow mortality, especially in conventional herds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106662"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144852796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The costs of the diagnosis and treatment of canine coccidioidomycosis in endemic regions, USA, 2022","authors":"Christine D. Butkiewicz ,&nbsp;Jane E. Sykes ,&nbsp;Simon K. Camponuri ,&nbsp;Amanda K. Weaver ,&nbsp;Lisa F. Shubitz","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106660","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106660","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coccidioidomycosis (“Valley fever”) is a fungal disease that causes a wide range of illness severity in animals and people. Here, we use U.S. Census data, surveys of pet ownership demographics, and results of a nation-wide dog serologic study to estimate the financial burden of the disease to dog owners. We estimate that the one-year cost of diagnosis and treatment for uncomplicated pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in dogs across 6 endemic southwestern U.S. states ranged from $60,117,875 to $74,858,713 before adjusting for inflation. The financial burden to dog owners for uncomplicated illness was 9–11 % of discretionary income during the first year of diagnosis and treatment. Adjusting for inflation from 2019 to 2022, the year of our coccidioidomycosis incidence data, the costs increase to $73,944,986 to $92,076,217 annually. In 2025 this increases further to $90,176,812 to $112,288,070. Though there is a lack of specific case numbers of disseminated or complicated coccidioidomycosis, the cost of care for dogs that require emergency care, advanced diagnostics, surgery, and second and third line drugs is higher, putting greater financial strain on dog owners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106660"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of short-term climatic conditions on the risk of bovine respiratory disease in preweaned calves on California dairies","authors":"Masashi Yamada ,&nbsp;Sharif S. Aly ,&nbsp;Sasha Dubrovsky ,&nbsp;Betsy Karle ,&nbsp;Alison Van Eenennaam ,&nbsp;John D. Donlon ,&nbsp;Pranav S. Pandit","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) significantly impacts dairy calf health and economics, yet the relationship between short-term weather patterns and BRD risk remains poorly understood, particularly across different seasons and regions in California. We explored the effects of short-term climatic conditions on BRD in preweaned dairy calves using machine learning approaches. Data from 11,470 calves across five California dairy farms were analyzed using tree-based models to investigate associations between BRD status and climate variables, including temperature, humidity, and temperature-humidity index (THI) over one to three days prior to diagnosis. The gradient boosting model achieved the best performance with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.720 (sensitivity: 0.71, specificity: 0.73). Maximum relative humidity two days prior and maximum THI three days before BRD diagnosis were the most important short-term climatic predictors of BRD risk along with the region of California and calf age. The analysis indicated that summer conditions in Southern California were associated with higher BRD risk 48 h post-exposure; maximum THI below 75 in winter increased BRD risk 72 h post-exposure across all regions; and calves aged 20–30 days in Southern California showed higher BRD risk compared to Northern California across all seasons. These findings provide novel insights into how short-term weather patterns influence BRD development, potentially supporting the development of region-specific prevention strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106658"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Probability of freedom from foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia 1 in Southeast Asia, China and Mongolia","authors":"Masako Wada ,&nbsp;Jun Hee Han ,&nbsp;Bolortuya Purevsuren ,&nbsp;Karma Rinzin ,&nbsp;Ashish Sutar ,&nbsp;Ronello Abila ,&nbsp;Supatsak Subharat","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106663","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106663","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype Asia 1 has not been reported in Southeast Asia, China and Mongolia between 2018 and 2024, despite the endemicity of FMD in this region and the continued circulation of serotype Asia 1 in South Asia. While vaccines against Asia 1 are still occasionally used in this region, it is unknown whether the absence of reports indicates true disease freedom or surveillance gaps. This study aimed to estimate the sensitivity of existing passive surveillance systems, and the probability of regional freedom from serotype Asia 1 across eight countries using the scenario tree approach. Two stochastic scenario tree models were developed to estimate surveillance sensitivity for FMD (any serotypes) and serotype Asia 1 specifically. Country-specific input parameters were derived from a questionnaire survey of in-country experts on FMD vaccination practices, smallholders’ behaviour, sampling protocols and diagnostic laboratory capacity. Additionally, 2010 – 2022 data on FMD clinical samples submitted and confirmed Asia 1 cases were obtained from the World Reference Laboratory for FMD. Under a design annual incidence rate of 10 % at the village level and 20 % at the animal level, estimated surveillance sensitivity for FMD ranged from 100.0 % in Mongolia and 95.9 % in China to 1.7 % in Cambodia and &lt; 0.1 % in Myanmar. Using the effective design incidence rate with a median of 0.02 – 0.07 % at the village level and 20 % at the animal level, the probability of detecting Asia 1 was estimated to be 0.0 – 6.7 % per country and 14.5 % for the region. The estimated probability of regional freedom from Asia 1 was 53.9 % after the first year without reporting. Over years of no reporting, this probability would increase, only if an annual risk of introduction remained below 6 %. The results were most sensitive to parameters related to sampling intensity and smallholders’ behaviour, particularly in countries with high surveillance sensitivity, such as Mongolia and China. Our findings highlight the low sensitivity of passive surveillance in the region, suggesting that serotype Asia 1 may have remained undetected under the current surveillance efforts. Strengthening data collection and continued efforts in increasing surveillance intensity are essential to improving confidence in the regional freedom from serotype Asia 1.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106663"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144852794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge, attitude and practices of primary livestock raisers regarding anthrax and anthrax vaccination of livestock in outbreak and non-outbreak areas of Bangladesh","authors":"Ireen Sultana Shanta ,&nbsp;Kamal Hossain ,&nbsp;Syed Sayeem Uddin Ahmed ,&nbsp;Melissa Kadzik ,&nbsp;Antonio R. Vieira ,&nbsp;Taifur Rahman ,&nbsp;Rita M. Traxler ,&nbsp;Md Saiful Islam ,&nbsp;Farhana Haque ,&nbsp;Muhammad Belal Hossain ,&nbsp;Sk Shaheenur Islam ,&nbsp;Nurnabi Ahmed ,&nbsp;Mahbubur Rahman ,&nbsp;Michael S. Friedman ,&nbsp;Erin D. Kennedy ,&nbsp;Johanna S. Salzer","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106657","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106657","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium <em>Bacillus anthracis.</em> Outbreaks are periodically reported among people and livestock in Bangladesh. From 2009–2020, approximately 4000 suspected human cutaneous anthrax cases were reported. Although annual livestock vaccination against anthrax is one of the primary control methods, we do not know the livestock vaccination practices in Bangladesh. We aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of livestock raisers regarding the use of anthrax vaccination. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in four districts with the highest number of suspected human anthrax cases and four districts having no reported cases from October 2017 to March 2018. We randomly selected 81 villages in total; 10–11 villages per district. From each village, 20 households with at least one domestic animal (cattle/buffalo/goat/sheep) were randomly enrolled and the primary livestock raisers were interviewed. Among the 1620 livestock raisers, 36 % had heard of the livestock disease “anthrax” or “Torka” (the local name); 48 % from outbreak districts and 24 % from non-outbreak districts (p &lt; 0.001). Only 11 % of total respondents were aware that anthrax caused human disease. Overall, 25 % of respondents reported vaccinating their livestock for any disease. Among those, only 18 % reported vaccinating against anthrax. Most (73 %) of the livestock raisers who did not vaccinate their animals reported they were unaware of the vaccine against anthrax. Livestock raisers reported being willing to pay an average of 0.12 USD per vaccine for cattle/buffalo, and 0.06 USD for goats/sheep. Although the reported use of livestock vaccination was low in outbreak districts, respondents were more likely to be aware of anthrax. These findings highlight a need for community engagement with targeted education, and risk communication for livestock raisers regarding knowledge of anthrax, the importance of vaccination, and increasing the accessibility of anthrax vaccine in endemic villages.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106657"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A risk-based framework for live bird shops (LBSs) in Gujarat, India: Identifying pathogen entry and exposure risk profiles","authors":"Sara C. Sequeira ,&nbsp;Haidaruliman Paleja ,&nbsp;Prakash Koringa ,&nbsp;Akash Golaviya ,&nbsp;Ketankumar J. Panchal ,&nbsp;Lorraine Chapot ,&nbsp;Dirk U. Pfeiffer ,&nbsp;Damer Blake ,&nbsp;Fiona Tomley ,&nbsp;Guillaume Fournié ,&nbsp;Anne Conan","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Live bird shops (LBSs) and markets (LBMs) are frequent venues for chicken trading in Asia. Public-health research commonly explores LBMs across Southeast Asia, emphasizing their relevance in infectious disease epidemiology. However, LBSs’ role in pathogen transmission remains understudied, particularly in India, where broiler and indigenous chickens (deshi) are common. This study, conducted in Gujarat, India, described LBSs practices and assessed their potential for pathogen entry and exposure to chickens and humans. Standardized questionnaires and field observations were collected at 86 LBSs across eight major tribal and non-tribal cities, from December 2020 to March 2021. A risk-assessment framework identified three pathogen risk-pathways: LBS pathogen entry, chicken exposure and human exposure. Multivariate analyses assessed LBSs’ risk profiles for each risk-pathway, distinguishing between chicken types where applicable. The findings revealed three LBS clusters categorized as lower- or higher-risk for each risk-pathway and respective chicken type sold. LBSs’ region was a strong determinant of cluster composition. Higher-risk LBSs were typically located in non-tribal cities and received chicken supplies from farther away and more suppliers compared to other LBSs. The relatively uniform distribution of clusters per city, noticeable in tribal regions, suggests an opportunity for targeted interventions to mitigate pathogen transmission. Higher-risk clusters for chicken exposure were linked to free-roaming rearing conditions for broiler LBSs and a high proportion of surplus for deshi LBSs. Human exposure risks were driven by inadequate individual-protective-equipment use, poor hygiene standards and failure to separate slaughtering from sales areas. Mixing of unsold poultry with newly supplied birds and keeping live birds overnight were observed across all clusters, potentially facilitating spread and persistence of poultry pathogens. This study identified LBS risk-clusters with distinct management and geographical characteristics, highlighting the need for tailored disease control strategies. The presented risk-based framework offers a valuable tool for targeted interventions in similar poultry trade settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 106661"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144852795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inter-laboratory evaluation of serological tests using Bayesian latent class models: A case study for bovine viral diarrhoea","authors":"Arianna Comin ,&nbsp;Viktor Ahlberg ,&nbsp;Eduardo de Freitas Costa ,&nbsp;Mark Arnold ,&nbsp;Amin Asfor ,&nbsp;Guy Kouokam ,&nbsp;Stephen Valas ,&nbsp;Akbar Dastjerdi ,&nbsp;Matt Denwood","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106659","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106659","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate estimation of diagnostic test performance is crucial for epidemiological studies and disease control programs. Bayesian latent class models (BLCMs) provide a robust statistical approach to estimate these parameters in the absence of a gold standard test. This study aimed to establish a proof of concept for interlaboratory diagnostic test evaluation and to develop metrics for model fit validation, using serological detection of bovine viral diarrhoea as a case study. A total of 485 samples were collected from France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom and tested in four laboratories using six commercial ELISA kits. We initially fit a 6-test-4-population Hui-Walter model with both minimally informative and strong priors, as well as covariance terms. Model fit was assessed through four novel posterior predictive metrics, targeting the multinomial response frequency (LPmf), test-specific positivity (LPtp), pairwise crude agreement (LPag) and population-specific re-estimation of sensitivity and specificity (LRse/LRsp). BLCM results showed that almost all tests exhibited high sensitivity and specificity (&gt;95 %). In addition, the model fit metrics identified one test breaching the assumption of constant test performance across populations which was therefore removed from the final model. This highlights the importance of robust model validation strategies to ensure reliable estimates. Our findings demonstrate that the joint evaluation of diagnostic tests across laboratories using BLCMs is both feasible and effective, providing robust accuracy estimates while reducing the burden on individual laboratories. As this approach does not require characterized samples, it is readily adaptable for evaluating diagnostics for emerging diseases without established gold standards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"245 ","pages":"Article 106659"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144866604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}