Jie Pei , Yu Wang , Yanjun Zhou , Tao Huang , Jun Xie , Aizhen Guo , Yingyu Chen , Ian D. Robertson
{"title":"True prevalence and spatial distribution of antibodies to Brucella spp. in goat populations in Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China: Progress toward disease elimination","authors":"Jie Pei , Yu Wang , Yanjun Zhou , Tao Huang , Jun Xie , Aizhen Guo , Yingyu Chen , Ian D. Robertson","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Caprine brucellosis, mainly caused by <em>Brucella melitensis</em>, remains a significant zoonotic threat worldwide, affecting animal productivity, welfare, and public health. This study aimed to estimate the true prevalence (TP) and spatial distribution of antibodies to <em>Brucella</em> spp. among goat populations in Hubei Province, China. In 2021, approximately 1.4 million serum samples were collected from 23,126 goat flocks across 82 counties of 16 municipal regions of Hubei Province. A combination of the Rose Bengal Test and Serum Agglutination Test in series was used to detect antibodies against <em>Brucella</em> spp. A hierarchical Bayesian Latent Class Model was used to account for imperfect diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the tests, conditional dependence between the two tests, and hierarchical data structure to estimate the TP and the probability of achieving a 95 % probability of having a TP below 0.1 % for each county and municipal region. Apparent prevalence was 0.051 % and 0.536 % at the animal and flock level, respectively. The median animal level TP in the 82 counties was 0.0088 % (Range: 0.0008 %, 9.3730 %), with 76.8 % of counties showing a median TP estimate below 0.1 %. Counties containing positive goats were mainly clustered in Huanggang and Huangshi, and counties bordering positive counties had a higher risk of seropositivity. Notably, 52.4 % of counties achieved a 95 % probability with a TP below 0.1 %. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings across prior distributions. It was concluded that Hubei Province has achieved remarkable progress in caprine brucellosis elimination programs, and priority interventions should be given to positive counties and their bordering counties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 106414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142927954","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}
Allice Braga , Angélica Cavalheiro Bertagnolli , Vinícius da Rosa Fanfa , Rogério de Oliveira Rodrigues , Alice Faé , Gabriela Ramos , Rafaella Cristina Morais , Sidia Maria Callegari-Jacques , Cristine Cerva , Fabiana Quoos Mayer
{"title":"Unveiling mycobacterial infections in Brazilian swine: Insights from epidemiological and diagnostic studies","authors":"Allice Braga , Angélica Cavalheiro Bertagnolli , Vinícius da Rosa Fanfa , Rogério de Oliveira Rodrigues , Alice Faé , Gabriela Ramos , Rafaella Cristina Morais , Sidia Maria Callegari-Jacques , Cristine Cerva , Fabiana Quoos Mayer","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stringent sanitary standards are imperative for swine production, ensuring high biosecurity and safe meat. However, granulomatous lesions, often detected as “lymphadenitis” in slaughterhouses, lack routine laboratory examination, potentially overlooking tuberculosis among other etiologies. This study aimed to: (i) explore epidemiological variables linked to swine carcasses condemned due to “tuberculosis” or “lymphadenitis” in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil in a retrospective survey; and (ii) evaluate the frequency of <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em> in granulomatous lymphadenitis lesions. Epidemiological data from the public surveillance system including farm origin, slaughter location, season, producer type and the inspection scope, were evaluated by their association with the occurrence of animal transport guides (ATG) with at least one animal condemned due to lymphadenitis or tuberculosis. For the prospective study, tissue samples from 118 animals with granulomatous lymphadenitis lesions were examined through histopathology and bacterial isolation. The frequency of ATG with at least one carcass condemned due to lymphadenitis or tuberculosis was 2.27 % and 0.027 % respectively. The factors associated with lymphadenitis were slaughter location, origin, producer type, and inspection scope (state or municipal). However, no significant risk factors emerged for tuberculosis in multivariable analysis. Histopathology confirmed granulomatous lymphadenitis in 44.92 % of lymph nodes, and <em>M. tuberculosis</em> var. bovis was isolated in 2.54 % of cases. Although the tuberculosis frequency (0.002 %) was low, it surpassed federal inspection data (<0.001 %), evidencing that laboratory diagnosis should be considered in such lesions. This study underscores the need for improved diagnostic routine in slaughterhouses to enhance biosecurity and public health protection in the swine industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 106404"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142813930","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":"Key farm characteristics associated with the level of antimicrobial use in rosé veal production – A Danish database study","authors":"Jeanette Kristensen , Amanda Brinch Kruse , Anne Mette Hostrup Kjeldsen , Liza Rosenbaum Nielsen","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Antimicrobial use (AMU) in veal production is high compared to other bovine production types and has been suggested as an area with potential for AMU reduction. High AMU is a public health concern due to its association with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Identifying farm characteristics associated with AMU could provide valuable insights for stakeholders seeking to monitor and implement initiatives to reduce AMU. This study aimed at investigating farm characteristics associated with AMU in Danish rosé veal farms, which is the main veal production type in Denmark. The AMU and characteristics included were extracted from two Danish national databases; The Danish Central Husbandry Register (CHR) and the Danish Veterinary Medicines Statistics Program (VetStat). Characteristics included were farm size, mortality, number of suppliers, sites per farm, and farm-level composition of animals with regards to sex and breed. The 118 farms included in the study received 41 % of the total amount of antimicrobials prescribed for Danish calves and young stock in 2020 measured in Animal Daily Doses (ADD). A multivariable linear regression model with the annual average farm-level AMU as outcome was created. AMU was measured as ADD per 100 animals per day (ADD100) and square root-transformed in the model. Increasing farm size and number of suppliers and decreasing proportion of crossbred bulls were found to be significantly associated with higher AMU. However, proportion of crossbred bulls was correlated with proportion of females. Separating the effects of breed and sex was not possible, partly due to the highly summarised data structure. Mortality and number of sites were not significantly associated with AMU. Farms with the type “starter-farms” has previously been shown to have a higher AMU compared to other rosé veal farm types. An important finding in this study was that grouping multiple sites into farms by using ownership data made it possible to summarise AMU for the full line of production from arrival at the veal farm to exit for slaughter. The results and approaches from this paper present an opportunity for repeated evaluation of farm characteristics associated with AMU, which could be used to continuously adapt and target AMU monitoring and control. In addition, it is done on existing surveillance data which keeps the cost of the study low in terms of data collection and data management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 106406"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142823843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prediction of ketosis using radial basis function neural network in dairy cattle farming","authors":"Edyta A. Bauer , Wojciech Jagusiak","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of the paper was to apply an Artificial Neural Networks with Radial Basis Function to develop an application model for diagnosing a subclinical ketosis type I and II in dairy cattle. While building the neural network model, applied methodology was compatible to the procedures used in Data Mining processes. The data set was created based on the composition of milk samples of 1520 Polish Holstein-Friesian cows. The milk samples were collected during test-day milkings and made available by Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Milk Producers. The milk composition parameters were used as the input variables for RBF network models. The value of the output variable was determined based on the content of β-hydroxybutyric acid in blood of cows. In the next stage of the work, the qualities of the pre-selected models were compared and the best ones were chosen. The sensitivity and specificity as well as the size of the AUC (Area Under the Curve) under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) were taken as the main criteria for network models evaluation. The model characterized by sensitivity of 0.86, specificity of 0.71 and AUC of 0.89 was selected for ketosis type I. The optimal for ketosis type II showed the sensitivity and specificity 0.81 and 0.75, respectively, and the size of AUC above 0.85. Chosen models were recorded using the predictive modelling markup language (PMML) for data mining models to be shared and used between the different applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 106410"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142896963","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abdelmonem Abdallah , David Francoz , Julie Berman , Simon Dufour , Sébastien Buczinski
{"title":"Veal calves management in Québec, Canada: Part II. Association between passive immunity transfer at arrival and average daily gain","authors":"Abdelmonem Abdallah , David Francoz , Julie Berman , Simon Dufour , Sébastien Buczinski","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106441","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106441","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The average daily gain (ADG) of veal calves is an important outcome to monitor for veal producers to maximize profitability. Transfer of passive immunity (TPI) is of paramount importance in dairy and beef calves. There is little information available that examine the relationship between TPI and ADG of veal calves in Québec. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of arrival risk factors associated with lower ADG in milk and grain-fed veal calves in Québec. Between October 2017 and December 2018, a prospective cohort study was conducted on 59 batches of milk- and grain-fed veal calves in different geographic locations in Québec, Canada (n = 1729 calves). After arrival, thirty calves per batch were randomly sampled for estimating TPI using the Brix refractometer (serum threshold < 8.4 % for inadequate TPI). Throughout the production cycle, all health records of each batch of calves were extracted and used to quantify individual- and group-level risk factors. After the elaboration of a causal diagram using directed acyclic graphs, ADG was modelled through linear mixed models (LMMs) as function of categorical variables (individual inadequate TPI, arrival season, purchasing sites, and weights at purchase) and a continuous contextual variable (proportion of inadequate TPI in the batch). Also, the impact of morbidity (treated vs non treated) on ADG was investigated through linear regression model. Because performance and health data are typically underreported in commercial settings, data missingness was identified as a potential concern. Therefore, multiple imputation models were used. A total of 1084 calves had Brix % < 8.4 % giving a prevalence of 62.7 % of inadequate TPI. Individual calves with inadequate TPI gained 0.02 kg/d less than those with adequate TPI. Batch-level inadequate TPI prevalence was not associated with ADG difference in the sampled calves. Calves arriving to the facility during summer gained 80 g/d less than those arriving during fall. Calves treated at least once with antibiotic had lowered ADG by 7.2 kg throughout the production cycle compared to untreated calves. In conclusion, this study suggests that individual-level inadequate TPI assessed upon arrival in the facility, arrival season, and antibiotic treatments during the production cycle are associated with lowered ADG in veal calves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 106441"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quantification of antibiotic usage against Streptococcus suis in weaner pigs in the Netherlands between 2017 and 2021","authors":"Anita Dame-Korevaar , Chretien Gielen , Jobke van Hout , Martijn Bouwknegt , Lluís Fabà , Manouk Vrieling","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106400","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106400","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Streptococcus suis</em> is an important pig pathogen that can cause severe disease in the post-weaning period. As there are no commercial vaccines available in the Netherlands, antibiotic treatment is often necessary to control disease. <em>S. suis</em> is regarded as one of the major causes of antibiotic prescription in weaned pigs, but scientific studies supporting this claim with quantitative data are lacking. The aim of this study was to obtain insight in, and to quantify usage of, antibiotics against <em>S. suis</em> in weaner pigs at sow farms in the Netherlands. Three sources of data were used, including 1) total antibiotic usage in weaner pigs in the Netherlands, as yearly reported by the Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Institute (SDa), and estimates from 2) pig veterinarians and 3) pig farmers on the relative amount of antibiotics prescribed against <em>S. suis</em>, via questionnaires. Information from the SDa on the total amount of antibiotic usage was combined with the estimates of the veterinarians to estimate the antibiotic usage against <em>S. suis</em> in weaner pigs. Our study shows that ∼90 % of the total amount of amoxicillin (AMOX) and ampicillin (AMPI) prescribed in weaner pigs is used for treatment of disease caused by <em>S. suis</em> (<em>S. suis</em> disease). Of all orally prescribed antibiotics against <em>S. suis</em>, AMOX comprises 85 % of the total absolute usage expressed by the mean defined daily dosage per animal farm (3.2 – 5.4 mean DDDA<sub>F</sub>). Furthermore, veterinarians reported that at farms with structural <em>S. suis</em> disease problems second choice antibiotics (AMOX, AMPI) are more often prescribed than at farms with incidental <em>S. suis</em> disease. All together, we estimated that <em>S. suis</em> disease accounts for about 1/3rd of the total antibiotic usage in weaner pigs. This study is the first to quantify antibiotic usage against <em>S. suis</em> in weaner pigs and shows that <em>S. suis</em> is a hotspot of antibiotic usage. This underlines the severity and relevance of <em>S. suis</em> disease and the need for alternative control measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"235 ","pages":"Article 106400"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142791777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrea Knörr , Xiao Zhou , Angela Bearth , Beatriz Garcia-Morante , Carla Correia-Gomes , Joaquim Segalés , Thomas Echtermann , Michael Siegrist
{"title":"Industry stakeholders attitudes and beliefs about tail biting and docking in pigs – A case study in Switzerland and Spain","authors":"Andrea Knörr , Xiao Zhou , Angela Bearth , Beatriz Garcia-Morante , Carla Correia-Gomes , Joaquim Segalés , Thomas Echtermann , Michael Siegrist","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106444","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106444","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Tail docking is still widely used in major European pig-producing countries despite efforts to ban it. The present study aimed to understand the attitudes and beliefs of pig farming professionals in Spain and Switzerland regarding tail biting and tail docking. For this, <em>n</em> = 275 Swiss, and <em>n</em> = 87 Spanish participants completed an online questionnaire regarding the issue of tail biting and docking in pigs and their attitudes and beliefs.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Spanish participants predominantly kept docked pigs (<em>n</em> = 70, 80 %), whereas Swiss participants kept undocked pigs (<em>n</em> = 271, 99 %). While tail biting occurrences in the last two years were reported by most participants (n = 301, 83 %), the attitudes towards them differed: Spanish participants found the management of tail biting more challenging than Swiss participants. In addition, Spanish participants considered welfare to be better for docked pigs than for undocked pigs, whereas Swiss participants perceived the welfare of undocked pigs to be better. Similarly, Spanish participants showed a strong perception of lower production risks for docked pigs than for undocked pigs, a perception that could not be found in Swiss participants. Overall, Swiss participants saw more advantages in keeping long-tailed pigs and more possibilities to prevent tail biting than Spanish participants.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results suggest that Spanish pig-farming professionals’ attitudes towards tail docking are dominated by the conviction that docking is a necessity that lowers production risks and ensures animal welfare. Future efforts attempting to enforce the prohibition on tail docking should not only attempt to overcome structural barriers, but also focus on communicating with and changing the perceptions of pig farming professionals. By tackling the reluctance to try non-docking, producers can gain more experience and confidence with raising long-tailed pigs. To create sustainable changes in tail-docking practices, in addition to optimising the environment for pigs, communication should focus on changing attitudes and reducing risk perceptions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 106444"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143147614","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara C. Sequeira, Samantha R. Locke, Greg Habing, Andréia G. Arruda
{"title":"Combining different sources of movement data to strengthen traceability and disease surveillance","authors":"Sara C. Sequeira, Samantha R. Locke, Greg Habing, Andréia G. Arruda","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106442","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106442","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent concerns with food safety in the United States have highlighted the importance of traceability systems in animal production chains. Yet, adoption of these systems presents various challenges. Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (ICVIs) are required for most interstate animal movements and are considered the most representative source of livestock movement data. However, exceptions exist, where Owner Shipper Statements (OSSs) are often used as an alternative but previously unexplored. Calf movement networks are understudied, yet important in understanding animal and human disease transmission dynamics. The objective of this study was to use movement records to describe calf networks within a US region and explore how the inclusion of OSSs impact the structure of calf networks built using ICVIs. Calf movement records to and from Ohio were obtained through ICVIs and OSSs from June 2021 to June 2022. To explore and compare movement patterns, network analysis was performed individually for an ICVI-based network and a network combining both document types<em>.</em> Zip codes were considered nodes and calf movements (cattle up to 4 months) were considered links. Whole-network and node-level parameters were calculated, and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to evaluate statistical differences by network type. Community detection was performed to investigate the underlying structure of calf networks in Ohio. The frequency of animal movements recorded through OSS (n = 766, 49.8 %) and ICVIs (n = 772, 50.2 %) was similar. Most animal movements included mixed sex (60.0 %), dairy breeds (81.6 %) and animals up to one week old (74.1 %). There were major differences in the network structure with OSSs compared to ICVIs exclusively. Movements recorded through OSSs showed larger median number of animals per movement (60; IQR 23–105) compared to ICVIs (49; IQR 16–80); reaching up to 696 calves per batch of transported calves. Failing to include OSSs would have resulted in an incomplete network, excluding 40.3 % of the zip codes (n = 206) represented in this database. The ICVI-based network involved fewer zip codes across states, whose connections were sparser than in the combined network. The two analyzed networks revealed contrasting centrality results, especially for out-going geographical regions (P < 0.01), suggesting a discrepancy in their potential to influence disease transmission dynamics. Moreover, including OSSs resulted in a network with lower closeness centrality scores (P < 0.01). Results suggested heterogeneous patterns of calf movements, depending on the source of records, and emphasized the importance of incorporating multiple sources of movement data for the development of targeted disease surveillance strategies, particularly using community detection analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 106442"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143079868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cost-effectiveness assessment of alternative surveillance measures for bovine tuberculosis using stochastic modeling simulation","authors":"Giffona Loysell Justinia Hanitravelo , Guillaume Lhermie , Diego Manriquez , Viviane Henaux , Benoit Durand , Didier Raboisson","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106443","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106443","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To respond to the increasing bovine Tuberculosis (<strong>bTB</strong>) infection rates observed in France since 2010, national authorities are considering alternative surveillance measures for bTB in Reinforced Screening Areas, defined as municipalities within 5 or 10 km range of a bTB outbreak. The objective of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness, from the farmer expenses point of view, of three alternatives to the current mandatory surveillance scenario applied on French dairy, beef and small (<10 heads) farms located in Reinforced Screening Areas (<strong>RSA</strong>), using stochastic economic and epidemiologic modeling simulation. These alternative measures include reducing bTB minimum screening age for the annual screening program (<strong>M1</strong>), systematic bTB screening before animal movement (<strong>M2</strong>), and performing an interferon-gamma test (INF-γ) instead of strict quarantine and post-mortem diagnosis after a bTB positive test (<strong>M3</strong>). We show that the implementation of M1 and M2 increases annual costs ranging from €6 to €828 per farm and from €56 to €647 per farm, respectively, whereas the implementation of M3 led to average annual cost reductions between €3 and €352 per farm. These reductions were linked to fewer animals culled for post-mortem diagnostic and to a lower probability of farm quarantine or exclusion from the international markets. We also show that using a combination of the three alternatives measures in RSA farms could lead to detect between 11 and 17 additional bTB outbreaks per year. A highly cost-effective set of measures is to keep M1 at 24 months old while implementing M2 and M3. This strategy has an average annual cost of €209 per farm and allows to detect 11 additional bTB outbreaks per year compared with the baseline program. The most cost-effectiveness policy to detect more bTB outbreaks, minimizing the marginal cost of additional bTB outbreak detection, is to establish M1 at 14 months while implementing M2 and M3. This approach had average annual cost of €352 per farm and allowed to detect 15 additional bTB outbreaks per year. As a conclusion, the assessment of alternative surveillance measures through simulation stochastic models could assist policymakers to implement surveillance policy that balances disease monitoring costs and health outcomes. The present work supports the adoption of M1, M2 and M3 and reducing the minimum screening age at annual testing to 14 months.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 106443"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143372917","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}
M. Focker , C.P.A. van Wagenberg , J.P. van der Berg , M.A.P.M. van Asseldonk , T.H.G. Vollebregt , H.J. Wisselink
{"title":"The resilience of the Dutch pork supply chain to Toxoplasma gondii","authors":"M. Focker , C.P.A. van Wagenberg , J.P. van der Berg , M.A.P.M. van Asseldonk , T.H.G. Vollebregt , H.J. Wisselink","doi":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106437","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106437","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> (T. gondii) is a parasite leading to a substantial disease burden. An important source of toxoplasmosis is raw or undercooked pork. Our aim is to develop a model that can assess the resilience of the Dutch pork supply chain to T. gondii shocks, measured in Disability adjusted life years (DALYs), and the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) of control measures that improve the resilience of the supply chain. We developed a farm-to-fork model to simulate T. gondii through the pork supply chain. We modelled two shocks: 1) young cats on the farm, a long-term shock, and 2) feeding pigs a batch of contaminated goat whey, a short-term shock, and two control measures: 1) sterilising cats at farm level, and 2) freezing meat at processing level. When facing shock 1, all control measures can be considered cost-effective with a CER between k€3 and k€24 per DALY in the first year and between k€1 and k€13 per DALY in subsequent years. When facing shock 2, freezing unheated meat, or freezing unheated meat and large pork cuts, or freezing all pork products led to a CER of respectively k€21, k€10, and k€46 per DALY in the first year. However, in subsequent years, the CER ranged from k€162 to k€820 per DALY, which cannot be considered cost-effective anymore. Control measures are more cost-effective in case of a long-term shock than in case of an isolated short-term shock. In the latter case, a control measure can be cost-effective if applied only for a limited time after the shock has been detected. The developed model can be used by decision makers to select effective control measures against toxoplasmosis caused by pork consumption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20413,"journal":{"name":"Preventive veterinary medicine","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 106437"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143074778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}