Domesticated and non-domesticated animals, including wildlife, deliver significant financial and nonfinancial benefits to the human community;however, disease can have a dramatic impact on the morbidity, mortality, an...Domesticated and non-domesticated animals, including wildlife, deliver significant financial and nonfinancial benefits to the human community;however, disease can have a dramatic impact on the morbidity, mortality, and productivity of these animal populations and hence can directly and indirectly affect the human communities associated with them. This manuscript provides an overview of the important features to consider for the prevention and control of disease, with a focus on livestock diseases,and highlights the key role veterinary epidemiology plays in this endeavor. Measures of disease frequency and the type of epidemiological studies required to identify risk factors for diseases are summarized,with a focus on the use of these in the implementation of measures to control disease. The importance of biosecurity in maintaining disease-free flocks/herds is discussed and the steps taken to implement good biosecurity measures are outlined. It is concluded that a sound knowledge of veterinary epidemiology is required when developing control programs for disease and implementing biosecurity programs at a farm, regional, and national level.展开更多
Highly pathogenic avian influenza （HPAI） contamination via wild birds and rodents poses a threat to food security and safety. As chicken meat comprises an increasing proportion of diet in China, it is useful to dete...Highly pathogenic avian influenza （HPAI） contamination via wild birds and rodents poses a threat to food security and safety. As chicken meat comprises an increasing proportion of diet in China, it is useful to determine whether broiler farmers are adopting wild bird and rodent controls to minimize the risk of HPAI impacts on food supply. Our study surveyed a cross sectional sample of 331 Chinese broiler farmers in six provinces. We find that only 47% of farmers （mainly farmers with large herds） adopted control measures against wild birds and rodents, while 14% adopted no measures. Farm size was the biggest driver of adoption followed by proportion of farm revenue derived from broiler production. However, southern farmers were at a far greater probability of non-adoption. We suggest that assistance in the form of education/training programs and subsidized traps or baiting controls across smaller producers could help raise of the adoption level toward more effective HPAI control.展开更多
The classical dual use problem—the potential for harmful as well as beneficial application of scientific findings—has become more immediate in biotechnology than in most other fields of science. Terrorist misuse of ...The classical dual use problem—the potential for harmful as well as beneficial application of scientific findings—has become more immediate in biotechnology than in most other fields of science. Terrorist misuse of the information on the development of pathogenic organisms can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Therefore, particular in biosciences researchers are faced with the dilemma to find a proper balance between the right to know and the dangers of knowing. In this paper this dilemma is illustrated by the research on the influenza A virus subtype H5N1, commonly known as “bird flu”. The pros and cons of the full publication on the development of a dangerous airborne type are discussed.展开更多
The use of smart mobile technology could potentially ease Ireland’s level of biosecurity risk from tourism. Smart mobile technology is capable of improving communication of biosecurity monitoring, mitigation, and era...The use of smart mobile technology could potentially ease Ireland’s level of biosecurity risk from tourism. Smart mobile technology is capable of improving communication of biosecurity monitoring, mitigation, and eradication measures to tourists in Ireland. The scope of this research is to assess biosecurity communication from Ireland’s major ports, state agencies, and governing bodies involved in outdoor recreational activities. The aim of this paper is to assess Ireland’s biosecurity communication for any smart mobile technology in national agencies. A mixed method approach was utilised which consisted of content analysis as well as structured qualitative interviews. Analysis has revealed that no evidence of smart mobile technology for biosecurity communication is in place for tourists arriving in Ireland’s ports or in national agencies. The importance of timely communication of biosecurity measures and alerts seems to not have been recognised. The use of this technology could mitigate the risk of tourists vectoring dangerous microbes and aiding biological invasions. This paper concludes that a low emphasis on adopting smart mobile technology could be unnecessarily contributing to Ireland’s biosecurity risk. It offers an opportunity to be improved before a serious biosecurity breach occurs possibly resulting in a lost tourist season or expensive eradication programmes as has been witnessed in other destinations worldwide.展开更多
The CFO （Chicken Farmers of Ontario） has taken important steps to increase biosecurity practices within backyard poultry flocks in order to thwart infectious diseases. The present study originally intended to descri...The CFO （Chicken Farmers of Ontario） has taken important steps to increase biosecurity practices within backyard poultry flocks in order to thwart infectious diseases. The present study originally intended to describe biosecurity practices within this milieu, so as to determine their nearest neighbor and density, as well as the average distance between backyard and commercial broiler flocks. To that effect, paper questionnaire and survey interviews were used （May-July, 2011）, while backyard and commercial broiler chicken flocks were geocoded. The response rates collected from the study produced these findings regarding： growers＇ health practices toward flocks, hygienic precautions relative to the production area, regularity of bird inspection and cleaning after each folk, protocol used to dispose of dead birds, mixing （or lack thereof） of flocks with other livestock, as well as the average distance between small flocks and commercial farms. The study concludes that education material should focus on improving the growers＇ understanding of issues examined in the study, focusing on areas of weakness in respect to biosecurity practices.展开更多
The passive flight of large numbers of mitospores ensures propagation and survival of many fungal species. Moreover, many fungi have a surplus DNA context which allows for easier manipulation and tampering, especially...The passive flight of large numbers of mitospores ensures propagation and survival of many fungal species. Moreover, many fungi have a surplus DNA context which allows for easier manipulation and tampering, especially when inserting eukaryotic genes and translation systems. These facts taken together suggest a high prominence of the sporogonic airborne fungi in biosecurity/biodefence priority lists, but due to the low virulence and mortality of the fungal pathogens, they do not figure high, or, sometimes, not at all. The disruptive effect of biosecurity fungal threats is important per se and genetic manipulations are to further it. Novel, long range and high-persistence sampling methods, using robotics and unmanned systems already fielded in other applications may extend surveillance and responsive sampling. Effects-based, proteomic approaches may provide a solution for deliberate incidents, while polyphasic taxonomy may resolve spontaneous incidents and assist medical diagnosis, but in the biosecurity context, where mass collection and processing of samples and speed in producing robust results are vital, complex approaches might be proved more of a hindrance than an asset.展开更多
文摘Domesticated and non-domesticated animals, including wildlife, deliver significant financial and nonfinancial benefits to the human community;however, disease can have a dramatic impact on the morbidity, mortality, and productivity of these animal populations and hence can directly and indirectly affect the human communities associated with them. This manuscript provides an overview of the important features to consider for the prevention and control of disease, with a focus on livestock diseases,and highlights the key role veterinary epidemiology plays in this endeavor. Measures of disease frequency and the type of epidemiological studies required to identify risk factors for diseases are summarized,with a focus on the use of these in the implementation of measures to control disease. The importance of biosecurity in maintaining disease-free flocks/herds is discussed and the steps taken to implement good biosecurity measures are outlined. It is concluded that a sound knowledge of veterinary epidemiology is required when developing control programs for disease and implementing biosecurity programs at a farm, regional, and national level.
基金supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program,Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ASTIP-IAED-2016)the Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System,China (CARS42-G24)
文摘Highly pathogenic avian influenza （HPAI） contamination via wild birds and rodents poses a threat to food security and safety. As chicken meat comprises an increasing proportion of diet in China, it is useful to determine whether broiler farmers are adopting wild bird and rodent controls to minimize the risk of HPAI impacts on food supply. Our study surveyed a cross sectional sample of 331 Chinese broiler farmers in six provinces. We find that only 47% of farmers （mainly farmers with large herds） adopted control measures against wild birds and rodents, while 14% adopted no measures. Farm size was the biggest driver of adoption followed by proportion of farm revenue derived from broiler production. However, southern farmers were at a far greater probability of non-adoption. We suggest that assistance in the form of education/training programs and subsidized traps or baiting controls across smaller producers could help raise of the adoption level toward more effective HPAI control.
文摘The classical dual use problem—the potential for harmful as well as beneficial application of scientific findings—has become more immediate in biotechnology than in most other fields of science. Terrorist misuse of the information on the development of pathogenic organisms can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Therefore, particular in biosciences researchers are faced with the dilemma to find a proper balance between the right to know and the dangers of knowing. In this paper this dilemma is illustrated by the research on the influenza A virus subtype H5N1, commonly known as “bird flu”. The pros and cons of the full publication on the development of a dangerous airborne type are discussed.
文摘The use of smart mobile technology could potentially ease Ireland’s level of biosecurity risk from tourism. Smart mobile technology is capable of improving communication of biosecurity monitoring, mitigation, and eradication measures to tourists in Ireland. The scope of this research is to assess biosecurity communication from Ireland’s major ports, state agencies, and governing bodies involved in outdoor recreational activities. The aim of this paper is to assess Ireland’s biosecurity communication for any smart mobile technology in national agencies. A mixed method approach was utilised which consisted of content analysis as well as structured qualitative interviews. Analysis has revealed that no evidence of smart mobile technology for biosecurity communication is in place for tourists arriving in Ireland’s ports or in national agencies. The importance of timely communication of biosecurity measures and alerts seems to not have been recognised. The use of this technology could mitigate the risk of tourists vectoring dangerous microbes and aiding biological invasions. This paper concludes that a low emphasis on adopting smart mobile technology could be unnecessarily contributing to Ireland’s biosecurity risk. It offers an opportunity to be improved before a serious biosecurity breach occurs possibly resulting in a lost tourist season or expensive eradication programmes as has been witnessed in other destinations worldwide.
文摘The CFO （Chicken Farmers of Ontario） has taken important steps to increase biosecurity practices within backyard poultry flocks in order to thwart infectious diseases. The present study originally intended to describe biosecurity practices within this milieu, so as to determine their nearest neighbor and density, as well as the average distance between backyard and commercial broiler flocks. To that effect, paper questionnaire and survey interviews were used （May-July, 2011）, while backyard and commercial broiler chicken flocks were geocoded. The response rates collected from the study produced these findings regarding： growers＇ health practices toward flocks, hygienic precautions relative to the production area, regularity of bird inspection and cleaning after each folk, protocol used to dispose of dead birds, mixing （or lack thereof） of flocks with other livestock, as well as the average distance between small flocks and commercial farms. The study concludes that education material should focus on improving the growers＇ understanding of issues examined in the study, focusing on areas of weakness in respect to biosecurity practices.
文摘The passive flight of large numbers of mitospores ensures propagation and survival of many fungal species. Moreover, many fungi have a surplus DNA context which allows for easier manipulation and tampering, especially when inserting eukaryotic genes and translation systems. These facts taken together suggest a high prominence of the sporogonic airborne fungi in biosecurity/biodefence priority lists, but due to the low virulence and mortality of the fungal pathogens, they do not figure high, or, sometimes, not at all. The disruptive effect of biosecurity fungal threats is important per se and genetic manipulations are to further it. Novel, long range and high-persistence sampling methods, using robotics and unmanned systems already fielded in other applications may extend surveillance and responsive sampling. Effects-based, proteomic approaches may provide a solution for deliberate incidents, while polyphasic taxonomy may resolve spontaneous incidents and assist medical diagnosis, but in the biosecurity context, where mass collection and processing of samples and speed in producing robust results are vital, complex approaches might be proved more of a hindrance than an asset.
