Nelima Ibrahim , Ilias Chantziaras , Shovon Chakma , Sk Shaheenur Islam , Arthi Amalraj , Nele Caekebeke , Helena de Carvalho Ferreira , Jeroen Dewulf
{"title":"Biocheck.UGent: A risk-based tool to assess the status of biosecurity in backyard poultry in low- and middle-income countries","authors":"Nelima Ibrahim , Ilias Chantziaras , Shovon Chakma , Sk Shaheenur Islam , Arthi Amalraj , Nele Caekebeke , Helena de Carvalho Ferreira , Jeroen Dewulf","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106540","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106540","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Backyard poultry farming is common in rural areas worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where approximately 80 % of rural households are involved. Effective biosecurity assessments are essential to prevent diseases and therefore, this study aimed to develop a risk-based weighted scoring system to evaluate biosecurity levels in backyard poultry households in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as to describe its use in Bangladesh. A questionnaire was drafted with input from backyard poultry experts, followed by weights were attributed to the answers to obtain a weighted and risk-based questionnaire where scores represent the level of biosecurity measures. A score of 0 indicates absence of biosecurity measures, while 100 implies optimal biosecurity. The questionnaire was pretested with 20 households in Savar, Dhaka. Subsequently, 384 households were randomly selected from six districts in Bangladesh, based on the poultry population and consistent backyard poultry rearing. The scoring system is freely available online at <span><span>https://biocheckgent.com/en/</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>. External biosecurity (50 questions) was assessed in the following subcategories: purchase of eggs or day-old chicks, purchase of laying hens, depopulation and transport of poultry and poultry products, feed and water supply, visitors and farm personnel, manure and carcass removal, infrastructure and biological vectors of the farm, location of the farm. Internal biosecurity (13 questions) was subdivided in disease management and cleaning and disinfection<strong>.</strong> The average biosecurity scores for the external and internal categories were 30.3 % and 32.4 %, respectively. The two highest mean external biosecurity scores were obtained for depopulation and transport of poultry and poultry products (mean= 56.0 %) and manure and carcass removal (mean = 37.5 %) while the lowest means score was obtained for the category visitors and farm workers (mean = 12.4 %). In the internal biosecurity category, cleaning and disinfection had the highest mean score (34.1 %). Besides backyard production, small-scale commercial broiler production was present in 7 % of the visited households and the biosecurity score in these households was on average higher compared to those without commercial farming. This study reveals sub-optimal levels of biosecurity among backyard poultry in Bangladesh, as evaluated through the Biocheck.UGent scoring tool which has shown to be valuable for addressing biosecurity challenges in backyard production in low- and middle-income countries. The observed biosecurity gaps expose the poultry system to considerable risks of introduction and spread of infectious diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106540"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143935312","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}
Sarah Ishak , Raphaël Guatteo , Anne-Raphaëlle Entraygues , Marie Gall , Aurore Duvauchelle-Waché , Anne Relun
{"title":"Apparent prevalence and distribution of foot lesions in finishing French young bulls: A slaughterhouse cross-sectional study","authors":"Sarah Ishak , Raphaël Guatteo , Anne-Raphaëlle Entraygues , Marie Gall , Aurore Duvauchelle-Waché , Anne Relun","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106554","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106554","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to estimate the apparent prevalence of foot lesions and their distribution at the animal and batch levels in finishing French young bulls at slaughter, using a cross-sectional study conducted in four slaughterhouses. All 4 feet of 2102 young bulls (19.2 ± 2.4 months old) were collected and examined in spring and autumn 2023. Two methods were used to estimate lesion prevalence: a direct estimation based on all observed animals, and a logistic mixed-effects model accounting for clustering at the slaughterhouse and farm levels as random effects. The results presented here refer to the adjusted estimates, based on a subset of 1387 animals coming from 99 farms. Almost all animals were affected by at least one foot lesion. The most common included diffuse sole hemorrhages (SHD), affecting 83.1 % of animals and 99.4 % of batches, white line hemorrhages (WLH) affecting 49.5 % of animals and 97.1 % of batches, and heel horn erosion (HHE) present in 73.6 % of animals and 97.9 % of batches. Digital dermatitis (DD) affected 26.8 % of animals and approximately half the batches. Alarm lesions, potentially indicative of lameness, were observed in 30.8 % of young bulls. Among these, WLF and Bulb ulcer (BU) were more prevalent on hind feet, while other lesions showed no foot preference. Charolais young bulls showed a higher lesion prevalence than other breeds. This study provides valuable insights into foot health of finishing young bulls in France, highlighting frequent lesions in these indoor-reared animals and the presence of potentially lame individuals and widespread digital dermatitis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106554"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923649","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}
Rozenn Souillard , Virginie Allain , Anne Christine Dufay-Lefort , Nathalie Rousset , Arthi Amalraj , Annick Spaans , Artur Zbikowski , Alessandra Piccirillo , Sandra Sevilla-Navarro , László Kovács , Sophie Le Bouquin
{"title":"Advisers’ perception of biosecurity implementation on large-scale poultry farms in Europe","authors":"Rozenn Souillard , Virginie Allain , Anne Christine Dufay-Lefort , Nathalie Rousset , Arthi Amalraj , Annick Spaans , Artur Zbikowski , Alessandra Piccirillo , Sandra Sevilla-Navarro , László Kovács , Sophie Le Bouquin","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biosecurity is a fundamental preventive tool to control animal infectious diseases. The relationship between advisers and farmers plays a key role in determining farmers’ compliance with on-farm biosecurity measures (BMs). The aims of this survey were (1) to provide an overview on the implementation of biosecurity in European poultry farms as declared by the advisers and (2) to better understand advisers’ perception of the reasons why farmers do not comply with biosecurity rules and pinpoint potential obstacles to their implementation. One hundred and fifty-seven advisers working in various poultry sectors (breeders, enclosed and free-range layers, enclosed and free-range meat poultry) were interviewed to give their opinion on the implementation of 62 BMs. The advisers’ replies (n = 6485) on the implementation of BMs were reported as “always” (67.6 %), “sometimes” (19.8 %) and “never” (8.1 %) implemented. The advisers from the local governmental institutions declared a significantly lower percentage of “always implemented” replies (62 %) than those from other categories (producer organisations (73.7 %), companies (73.8 %) and veterinary clinics (67 %)). Regardless of the poultry sector, the most commonly implemented BMs declared by the advisers were the “daily surveillance of birds”, “flock register”, “rodent control” and “feed storage protection”. The BMs declared as the least commonly implemented were “visitors and personnel showering before entering the poultry house” for all the surveyed productions and “personnel hand washing” for all the production types except breeders. Some hygiene practices were also declared to be poorly implemented in most of the surveyed productions such as the “cleaning/disinfection of the rendering tank after each collection”, the “presence of concrete area around the house”, the “use of separate material for the poultry house” and the “restriction of domestic animals entering the site” and especially in meat poultry “the bacterial self-check of the house” and “the cleaning/disinfection of the feed silo between each flock”. According to the advisers ‘reports, the reasons why farmers do not comply with biosecurity on their farm were insufficient knowledge of biosecurity issues (“not enough training” 12.3 % and “not enough advice” 8.5 %), low awareness of the expected benefits (“no known advantages” 14 % and “not useful” 4.6 %), the lack of time (17.8 %), financial issues (16.8 %) and the unsuitability of the measures (17.4 %). This study highlighted, from the European advisers ’point of view, the shortcomings of the implementation of biosecurity on poultry farms and a room of improvement requiring adapted and tailored support measures for a better biosecurity compliance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106552"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912104","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}
Carolina Allievi , Emilio Lana , Rita Rizzi , Alessandro Zanon , Michele Mortarino , Maria Teresa Manfredi
{"title":"Abattoir monitoring of liver lesions caused by Ascaris suum larvae: A longitudinal study conducted in northern Italy","authors":"Carolina Allievi , Emilio Lana , Rita Rizzi , Alessandro Zanon , Michele Mortarino , Maria Teresa Manfredi","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Data supplied by the abattoir monitoring system offer a useful tool both for tracing the prevalence of <em>Ascaris suum</em> milk spot lesions and for conducting large-scale epidemiological studies.</div></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><div>In this study, livers of 754833 slaughtered pigs from 5835 batches and 399 farms located in northern Italy, were evaluated in one of the largest national abattoirs during a year of survey. From each farm data concerning the breeding region and province, the season of post-mortem inspection, the farm size and the type of farm production were collected and the probability of finding a positive animal, i.e. with at least one milk spot lesion, in relation to these factors was estimated by a generalised linear mixed model (GLMM).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>368 out of 399 farms tested positive (92.2 %), out of 5835 batches of animals, 4395 (75.3 %) had at least one positive pig, and out of 754833 carcasses, 198964 showed milk spots, with an overall prevalence of 26.4 %. The breeding province and the season of post-mortem inspection were two significant risk factors: a higher risk of finding animals with milk spots was recorded in some Italian provinces and in spring.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study provides data on the prevalence of milk spots caused by <em>A. suum</em> migrating larvae in an area characterised by a high density of pig farms. Given the high prevalence recorded, it is necessary to promote effective communication between abattoir, veterinarians and farmers, monitoring the circulation of <em>A. suum</em>, developing specific control plans and enhancing animal health surveillance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106553"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891369","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}
Christian Bernal-Córdoba , Rúbia Branco-Lopes , Yael Alonso-López , Caroline Minjee-Lee , Diana Pérez-Solano , Erik D. Fausak , Richard V. Pereira , Noelia Silva-del-Río
{"title":"Antimicrobial drugs used in the prevention and control of protozoal and bacterial calf diarrhea: A scoping review","authors":"Christian Bernal-Córdoba , Rúbia Branco-Lopes , Yael Alonso-López , Caroline Minjee-Lee , Diana Pérez-Solano , Erik D. Fausak , Richard V. Pereira , Noelia Silva-del-Río","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106543","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106543","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This scoping review examined the scientific literature on antimicrobial use (<strong>AMU</strong>) for preventing and controlling calf diarrhea. Secondary aims included describing health assessment methods and exploring the feasibility of meta-analyses to assess antimicrobial drug (<strong>AMs</strong>) efficacy. Following a registered protocol, four electronic databases were searched (initial search 2019; last update 2023). Eligibility criteria required controlled trials evaluating AMU for diarrhea prevention and control in calves ≤ 6 months, with efficacy assessed through health outcomes and/or fecal pathogen shedding. The search yielded 4486 references. After deduplication, two reviewers screened titles (n = 3259), abstracts (n = 341), and full texts (n = 106), resulting in the inclusion of 43 articles encompassing 62 trials. Pathogens associated with diarrhea included <em>Eimeria</em> spp. (41.9 %), <em>Cryptosporidium</em> spp. (40.3 %), <em>Salmonella</em> spp. (8.1 %), and <em>Escherichia coli</em> (3.2 %). High variability and frequent incomplete reporting of trial methodologies were observed. The most frequently assessed AMs were diclazuril, toltrazuril, and lasalocid for <em>Eimeria</em>, and halofuginone, chlortetracycline, and oxytetracycline for <em>Cryptosporidium</em>, <em>Salmonella</em>, and <em>E</em>. <em>coli</em>, respectively. Fecal consistency (93.5 %) and stool blood (48.4 %) were the most commonly evaluated fecal traits, while microscopy-based quantitative (50 %) and semi-quantitative (48.4 %) tests were frequently used for fecal pathogen shedding. Results suggest that meta-analyses could be performed to evaluate AM efficacy for diarrhea associated with <em>Cryptosporidium</em> and <em>Eimeria</em>. Future research should assess the efficacy of AMs approved by regulatory agencies, refine diagnostic methods for evaluating diarrhea etiology, validate health assessment techniques, and compare the efficacy of management practices in preventing and controlling calf diarrhea.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106543"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899043","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}
Emma Nicole Taylor-Holt , Sam Strain , Nicholas Mark Taylor , Sitira Williams , Nicholas Wheelhouse , James Hanks , Peter Guy Orpin , David C. Rose , Abel Bulamu Ekiri
{"title":"Utilising on-farm risk assessment data for the management of Johne’s disease in dairy cattle in Northern Ireland","authors":"Emma Nicole Taylor-Holt , Sam Strain , Nicholas Mark Taylor , Sitira Williams , Nicholas Wheelhouse , James Hanks , Peter Guy Orpin , David C. Rose , Abel Bulamu Ekiri","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Johne’s disease (JD) causes weight loss, diarrhoea, and reduced milk yields in clinically infected cattle. In 2020, Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI) launched a voluntary JD control programme (JDCP) which focuses on bio-exclusion, biocontainment and market reassurance. Authorised veterinary practitioners (AVPs) conduct a Veterinary Risk Assessment and Management Plan (VRAMP) and use this information to make up to three recommendations. Between August 2022 and January 2024, 2274 herds enrolled in the NI JDCP and conducted up to three VRAMPs. This study characterised the JD-related risks and veterinary recommendations, identified the risks related to confirmed cases of JD and assessed if farmers changed their practices in response to AVP recommendations. AVPs assigned risk scores to management practices. Practices related to the calving area, particularly an absence of or delayed snatch calving, demonstrated the highest average risk score. Thematic analysis highlighted five main themes within AVP recommendations, including the use of diagnostic testing and management of calving areas. Multivariable binomial logistic regression identified five management practices which significantly increased the likelihood of herds having had a confirmed case of JD, including the segregation of clinically infected or test-positive cows from the rest of the herd in the calving area. Analysis of the risk scores and responses to closed questions from 278 herds which conducted first and second VRAMPs suggested that farmers had not changed their JD-related management practices in response to AVP recommendations. These findings simultaneously outline the challenges in JD control, reinforce the use of VRAMPs in identifying JD-related risks, demonstrate the harmonisation in AVP recommendation themes and provide data which can be considered by industry and policy makers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106538"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143902086","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}
John S.P. Tulloch , Imogen Schofield , Rebecca Jackson , Martin Whiting
{"title":"‘It’s only a flesh wound’ – Understanding the safety culture in equine, production animal and mixed veterinary practices","authors":"John S.P. Tulloch , Imogen Schofield , Rebecca Jackson , Martin Whiting","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The veterinary industry has some of the highest rates of non-fatal work-related injuries, yet safety culture remains unexplored. Utilising a survey distributed to all UK employees of a consolidated group of veterinary practices, this study aimed to describe the prevalence of work-related injuries in equine, production animal, and mixed veterinary practices, and to understand the behaviours of injured persons. There were 144 respondents. Over 90 % of clinicians experienced injury during their careers, versus a third of non-clinical staff. Injuries to equine veterinarians were predominately kicks to the leg or head, and usually involved the examination of a horse’s distal limb, with most not wearing hard hats. Production animal veterinarians’ injuries included crushed hands and feet, and kicks to legs. Injuries often lead to hospital attendance (>25 % equine, >40 % production animal), yet few took time off work. Veterinarians avoided taking time off work after injuries. Reasons included; minimisation of injury severity, not wanting to ‘let the team down’, and feelings of guilt. Many planned behaviour change post-injury, including using protective headwear, increasing awareness of surroundings, and using better restraint. Most injuries went unreported due to lack of awareness, acceptance of injury risk, time constraints, and believing reporting would have no impact. This study exposes a culture in large animal veterinary workplaces that normalises injuries and undervalues safety. The lack of protective measures and the tendency to continue working despite serious injuries, highlight a need for urgent cultural and systemic change. Improved safety practices, practice leadership commitment, and comprehensive training are essential to address this deep-seated issue and fostering a safer work environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"241 ","pages":"Article 106541"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869794","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}
Rheinallt Jones , Donald P. King , Valentina Busin
{"title":"Corrigendum to “Retrospective analysis of submissions to the World Reference Laboratory for foot-and-mouth disease: What can these data tell us about the role of small ruminants in disease epidemiology?” [Prev. Vet. Med. Volume 239 (2025) 106526]","authors":"Rheinallt Jones , Donald P. King , Valentina Busin","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106542","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106542"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144053326","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":"Evaluating a swine biosecurity website as an education and outreach tool and identifying best practices for end-user engagement: A learning analytics approach","authors":"Isha Agrawal , Corinne Bromfield , Csaba Varga","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Implementing biosecurity measures on commercial and small-scale swine farms is an ongoing effort to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases. Educating and training swine producers on effective on-farm biosecurity practices is imperative. This study aims to assess a swine biosecurity website as an outreach tool and identify best practices for end-user engagement by tracking and analyzing data on user demographics, engagement, and interaction.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>User data for a swine biosecurity website were recorded between 5th July 2022 and 31st December 2023 using Google Analytics. A direct interaction between RStudio software and Google Analytics facilitated data export and analysis on user demographics and website traffic. A multivariable negative binomial regression model assessed associations between website event counts (outcome) and predictors representing the type of devices used to access the website and how the website was found. A multivariable linear regression model evaluated associations between the previously described predictor variables and the duration for which the users engaged with the website (outcome). The number of users and event counts in each state was illustrated in choropleth maps, and the Local Moran's I method was used to identify states with a high number of users and event counts to evaluate the website’s outreach across the United States of America (US) and worldwide.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Google Analytics reported 768 users with an aggregated event count of 9643. Users were from 78 countries, of which the most users were from the US (708), the Philippines (202), and Canada (49). The website users were distributed across all age categories. The \"biosecurity checklist\" and \"biosecurity protocol of entering the swine farm\" were the most downloaded infographics. The website engagement (total events and engagement duration) was significantly higher if users accessed the website on desktop computers compared to mobile phones and tablets, and was higher for users accessing the website through direct links, and search engines. In the US, local clusters of high website users were identified in leading swine production states, including Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Indiana, and Missouri.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study findings support the utility of a web-based learning environment, which can provide swine biosecurity education and resources to a broad audience. The website traffic data obtained through Google Analytics helped examine the website users’ behavioral patterns, preferences, and engagement tendencies, which can be used to enhance the website in the future. The website tracking and analytical methods presented in this study can be applied to other educational websites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106544"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864986","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":"Formulating antibiotic policy: Analysis of India’s ban on colistin use in food producing animals","authors":"Mathew Hennessey , Pablo Alarcon , Indranil Samanta , Guillaume Fournié , Haidaruliman Paleja , Kumaravel Papaiyan , Meenakshi Gautham","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106534","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106534","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antibiotics remain key tools for maintaining human health, and in many settings, food production. However, emergence of antibiotic resistance has become a global challenge, one that has resulted in multi-national calls for policy to improve antibiotic use. One such call has been to restrict the use of antibiotics deemed critically important for human health, such as colistin, during the production of food producing animals. Between 2016 and 2019 numerous countries, including India, implemented policies to heavily restricted the use of colistin in livestock. While this represents a key shift in the antibiotic policy landscape, other classes of critically important antibiotics continue to be used during food production. This paper provides a policy analysis of India’s 2019 colistin ban to provide insight into how this came to be and to identify factors which could shape the development of future legislation. The analysis revealed that while antibiotic reform in food production had been in the background of India’s policy agenda for some time, it took key-focusing events to shift the policy climate into a period of action. These focusing events included reporting of mobile colistin resistance genes in bacteria isolated from pigs in China and colistin resistant bacteria isolated from food samples in India. Consistent narratives had been built around colistin’s role as a last resort antibiotic which, together with relatively low proportion of colistin resistance in bacteria isolated from human patients, framed legislation as a worthwhile endeavour for policy makers. In addition, India acted as a global player in antibiotic stewardship and followed the precedent set by several other countries in restricting colistin use during food production. As most colistin for animal use was imported into India from China, and viable alternative animal treatments existed, there was limited industry opposition that could block legislation. We suggest evaluation of these five critical factors (focusing events, consistent narratives, worthwhile endeavour, precedent for change, and industry opposition) should be part of the policy formulation process for legislation regarding the use of other critically important antibiotics in food production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"240 ","pages":"Article 106534"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859293","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}