Infectious disease control: biosecurity

svwinden@rvc.ac.uk
 Biosecurity (?)
‘any practice or system that prevents the spread of
infectious agents from infected animals to susceptible
animals, or prevents the introduction of infected animals
into a herd, region, or country in which the infection has
not yet occurred’
 Biosecurity (?)
• Biosecurity; prevention of disease agents entering a non-
infected farm, aka bioexclusion

• Biocontainment; prevention of disease spreading within

an infected farm or leaving a farm
 Levels of Biosecurity
• Global
• Regional
• National
• Local
 Global Biosecurity
• Control of infectious disease and eradication programmes
of eliminate infectious risks

Rinder Pest 2001 2004

2011 formally eradicated

 Regional Biosecurity
• Continent wide eradication and prevention of introduction
of disease.
• E.g. keep FMD out of EU
– Risk assessments
– Illegal transports
– Public awareness
• Current: ASF 
 National Biosecurity
• National disease control programmes to protect the
national livestock population and trade (E.g. NCD, AI
H5N1).
– Surveillance
– Disease control measures
– Contingency planning
 Local Biosecurity
• To protect your own health and herds from infectious
diseases.
– Eradicate
– Keep disease free
• Risk factors for disease introduction
• Preventive measures
– Reduce the impact of introduction
 Responsibilities and limitations
• Global and regional (OIE, WTO, EU, etc)
– Risk assessments
– Trade
– Financial incentives
– Available resources
• Risks are increasing, resources decreasing
• Trade in animal (products) and diseases
• Expanding livestock area
 Responsibilities and limitations
• National: responsibility of government
– APHA Office/ DEFRA
Based on
– Risk assessments
– Trade
– Financial incentives
– Available resources
• National boundaries are not secure
 Responsibilities and limitations
• Local: government?
• Owners and keepers?
• Vets?

• Pig and poultry

reasonable model
 Systematic Review Biosecurity
Risk Factor IBR BVD Salmonella Johne’s
disease
More than 100 cows 7.0 5.5 1.7
Mixed herd vs. only dairy or beef 4.1
Contact with other ruminant animals 0.56 5.3
Farm less than 2 miles away 2.2 0.23
Introduction of >1 cow 1.4 3.1 3.4 2.5
Mixing of different herds 5.6 12.1 1.3 2.3
Non-professional visitors on the farm 3.2
Over the fence contact of cattle 2.5
Overall, boots and disinfectant dip 0.43 1.1
Professional visitors on the farm 1.7 0.24 0.52
Surface water as drinking source 0.71
Use of shared equipment 0.6
 Systematic Review
Risk Factor IBR BVD Salmonella Johne’s
disease

More than 100 cows 7.0 5.5 1.7

Mixed herd vs. only dairy or beef 4.1
Contact with other ruminant animals 0.56 5.3
Farm less than 2 miles away 2.2 0.23
Introduction of >1 cow 1.4 3.1 3.4 2.5
Mixing of different herds 5.6 12.1 1.3 2.3
Non-professional visitors on the farm 3.2
Over the fence contact of cattle 2.5
Overall, boots and disinfectant dip 0.43 1.1
Professional visitors on the farm 1.7 0.24 0.52
Surface water as drinking source 0.71
Use of shared equipment 0.6
 Systematic Review
Risk Factor IBR BVD Salmonella Johne’s
disease
More than 100 cows 7.0 5.5 1.7
Mixed herd vs. only dairy or beef 4.1
Contact with other ruminant animals 0.56 5.3
Farm less than 2 miles away 2.2 0.23

Introduction of >1 cow 1.4 3.1 3.4 2.5

Mixing different herds 5.6 12.1 1.3 2.3
Non-professional visitors on the farm 3.2
Over the fence contact of cattle 2.5
Overall, boots and disinfectant dip 0.43 1.1
Professional visitors on the farm 1.7 0.24 0.52
Surface water as drinking source 0.71
Use of shared equipment 0.6
 Systematic Review
Risk Factor IBR BVD Salmonella Johne’s
disease
More than 100 cows 7.0 5.5 1.7
Mixed herd vs. only dairy or beef 4.1
Contact with other ruminant animals 0.56 5.3
Farm less than 2 miles away 2.2 0.23
Introduction of >1 cow 1.4 3.1 3.4 2.5
Mixing of different herds 5.6 12.1 1.3 2.3
Non-professional visitors on the farm 3.2
Over the fence contact of cattle 2.5
Overall, boots and disinfectant dip 0.43 1.1

Professional visitors 1.7 0.24 0.52

Surface water as drinking source 0.71
Use of shared equipment 0.6
 BVDV
Risk factor Odds ratio 95% CI p-value
Increase in time of 0.68 0.51 – 0.91 0.01
sampling by one year
Increase in herd size 1.06 1.03 – 1.09 <0.001
by ten animals
Sheep or goats 0.31 0.08 – 1.19 0.09
present on farm
Animals purchased 0.05 0.00 – 0.91 0.05
last year (no dogs)
Animals purchased 2.13 1.05 – 4.35 0.04
last year (dogs)
 BHV1
Risk factor Odds ratio 95% CI p-value
Increase in herd size 1.03 1.01 – 1.06 0.01
by ten animals
Vaccination against 8.51 2.01 – 36.1 0.004
BHV1
Animals purchased 7.14 2.44 – 20.0 <0.001
last year
Wildlife access to feed 10.59 1.70 – 66.0 0.01
(multiple sites)
Wildlife access to feed 0.78 0.30 – 2.06 0.62
(single site)
 L.hardjo
Risk factor Odds ratio 95% CI p-value
Animals purchased 2.50 0.89 – 7.14 0.08
last year
Received & followed 0.41 0.18 – 0.91 0.03
purchasing advice
Farm visited by 0.40 0.15 – 1.05 0.06
nutritionist last year
Increase in herd size 1.19 1.01 – 1.39 0.04
by ten animals
(no sheep or goats)
Increase in herd size 1.02 0.99 – 1.04 0.17
by ten animals
(sheep or goats)
 MAP
Risk factor Odds ratio 95% CI p-value
Received & followed 0.54 0.32 – 0.91 0.02
purchasing advice
Dogs present on farm 0.24 0.07 – 0.80 0.02
Farm visited by other 0.66 0.40 – 1.07 0.10
livestock owners last
year
 Cross pathogen risk factors
• Increased herd size was associated with an increased odds of BVDV
and BHV1 presence, and for L.hardjo presence (no sheep or goats)
• Purchase of animals last year was associated with a increased odds
of BHV1, L.hardjo presence and BVDV presence (herds with dogs)
• Farms which received and followed purchasing advice given to them
by their vet found to have lower odds of L.hardjo and MAP presence
• There was no effect of veterinary practice, contact with adjacent
animals or disinfection procedures (for visitors or vehicles) nor case vs.
intervention on pathogen presence
 Problems with uptake
• Knowledge and engagement
– Disease status not known
– Accepting the losses
– Interest farmer and VET
• The important vs. the urgent
 Problems with uptake
• Attitude and priorities
– Not the most important economic loss on the farm
– Habit: trading at markets, if you know your status this will be
limited
 Paradigm shift

When the disease is present on the farm, the focus

should not be on keeping it out anymore
 Disease spread
• To a degree the same as biosecurity

BUT focuses more on within herd spread

 Disease spread
• Herd size
• Production groups
• Air space
• Calf management
• Water troughs
• Other species
• ……
VERY DISEASE SPECIFIC
 Disease spread

IN MOST CASES VACCINATION IS NOT PREVENTING

SPREAD OF DISEASE
 Biosecurity
• More than a bucket with disinfectant
• Cattle are the main carrier of disease
pathogens
• Professionals can be too!
• Overlaps in risk factors for disease spread
 Biosecurity
• Veterinary knowledge and common sense
are useful things to mitigate risks

• Don’t forget to learn, as new disease will

emerge