15 - Biosecurity Principles and Applications in Livestock

Question 1

What is all included in biosecurity?

Answer 1

• Precautions taken to REDUCE the risk of EXPOSURE to disease
• PREVENTING introduction of infectious disease
• MINIMIZE the risk of disease TRANSMISSION
  o Between animals, people, geographic regions and spaces

Question 2

What does biosecurity impact?

Answer 2

• Animal health and welfare
• Human health
• Food safety
• International trade
• Good business practices
• Legal accountability
• Economic sustainability

Question 3

Biosecurity and disease control

Answer 3

• CHEAPEST and most EFFECTIVE means of disease control

Question 4

What are the weaknesses of biosecurity?

Answer 4

• Little to no scientific study of effectiveness
• Many are substantially different from current practices making implementation IMPRACTICAL
• *difficult to quantify risk or benefit of disease and exclusion practices

Question 5

What are some examples of biosecurity from recent research?

Answer 5

• Shelters from calves separate form cows
  o Mortality 1.3x lower
• Move cow-calf pairs to nursery pasture within 48hours
  o Mortality 1.3x lower
• Purchase calves in a month prior to calving
  o Mortality 1.3x HIGHER

Question 6

Biosecurity A-RITS

Answer 6

• A: assess
• R: resist
• I: isolate
• T: traffic
• S: sanitation

Question 7

Assessment

Answer 7

• Look at what CAN go wrong
• Evaluate potential to control, reduce and eliminate each risk IDed
• *changes over time

Question 8

Resistance

Answer 8

• Animals disease DEFENSE mechanisms having the ability to NOT become infected if exposed
• *increase resistance to infectious diseases

Question 9

How can you increases resistance to infectious diseases?

Answer 9

• Implement a strategic vaccination program
• Reduce stress on animals from other diseases
• Reduce poor nutrition and housing, lack of consistency in management
• MAXIMIZE COLOSTRUM (smaller volumes in beef)

Question 10

Passive transfer and colostrum?

Answer 10

• IgG levels should be over 24g/L
  o Less risk of death
• Focus on :
  o TWINS
  o First calf heifers
  o Any assistance in calving

Question 11

Isolation

Answer 11

• Prevent introduction of infected animals
• Keep a closed herd or all in-all out management
• Very few diseases we are able to test for
  o Test for Trichomoniasis and BVD (but can’t test calf)

Question 12

What are examples of an ‘open’ herd?

Answer 12

• Animals purchased or boarded
• Animals share a fence line
• Bulls purchased, borrowed or loaned
• Animals transported by someone else or in someone else’s vehicle
• Calves in a calf scours ward (change by doing IV on farm)
• Hospital pens in feed lots

Question 13

Community pasture risks

Answer 13

• Herds with varying infection status and immunity
• Temporary crowding of cattle when sorting in fall
• Many cows at ideal stage of gestation (first 120d) for fetal infection to occur with BVD virus
• Breeding period allows venereal transmission to occur between herds
• *unvaccinated more likely to be OPEN

Question 14

Risk cannot be eliminated but can be MANAGED! (perfect to less perfect example)

Answer 14

• only semen and embryos
• only animals form uninfected herds
• only animals with known disease status and an effective vaccination program
• AVOID purchase of animals of UNKNOW source or that have mingled with other cattle during sale

Question 15

Dairy herds and calf hutches

Answer 15

• Great way to minimize disease transfer

Question 16

What does traffic control all consist of?

Answer 16

• Traffic onto operation and traffic patterns
• Important to understand that it includes MORE THAN VEHICLES
• All animals and people must be considered
• Pest control should be reviewed

Question 17

Prevent introduction of infectious diseases: traffic control

Answer 17

• Limiting people’s access to herd
• NOT all groups of people represent the same risk
• High risk groups require greater precautions and may not be allowed any access
  o INTERNATIONAL VISOTROS: should not access for at least 5 days after arrival

Question 18

Different aspects of traffic control

Answer 18

• Warning signs to keep out and give info or what to do
  o Contact or call
• Maintain records of visitors
• Foot ware and coveralls
• Dead animal area
• Sale animals
• Vehicle cleaning areas

Question 19

Visitors foot wear and coveralls

Answer 19

• Provide overalls, rubber boots or disposable boots
• DO NOT allow visitors to walk in feed bunks or move among animals

Question 20

Traffic control and dead animal area

Answer 20

• Should not travel from dead animal area without cleaning and disinfecting
• Dead animal area should be placed in a location that allows rendering trucks access w/o cross-contaminating healthy cattle

Question 21

Vehicle cleaning areas

Answer 21

• More common in commercial feedlots, but are frequently only used for trucks and heavy equipment
• *management should consider extending a decontamination policy to other vehicles that are used across biosecurity control areas on the operation

Question 22

Sanitation

Answer 22

• Addresses disinfection of materials, people and equipment
• *primary goal is TO PREVENT FECAL-ORAL CROSS CONTAMINATION

Question 23

What is the first objective for sanitation?

Answer 23

• Remove organic matter, including feces, blood, saliva, urine from sick or dead animals
  o Loaders used for manure or dead animals cleaned throughout before use with feed

Question 24

Minimize use of oral equipment

Answer 24

• Ex. balling guns, drench equipment, tubes
• If used at processing and treatment, thoroughly clean and disinfected between animals
• *store clean equipment in clean, dry areas
• Avoid storage in tanks or containers containing disinfectants

Question 25

Sanitation and disinfectants

Answer 25

• Clean first then disinfect
• Correct dilution
• Adequate temperature and CONTACT TIME

Question 26

How do you select and use disinfectants?

Answer 26

• Understand target pathogen
• Understand organic load
• Understand disinfectant properties

Question 27

Sanitation: decrease exposure to infectious diseases (example in dairy herds)

Answer 27

• *Minimize risk of transmitting BLOOD between cattle
  o Dehorning, foot trimming, injections
  o *ensure hoof trimer starts with clean tools and chute
• Decrease exposure to infectious disease within herds
  o Prompt disposal fetuses and placentas (especially dogs)
  o Rodent, insect, bird and canine control
  o Handwashing, boot washing, clean coveralls when moving between sick and healthy animals

Question 28

Implementation of biosecurity

Answer 28

• Written risk assessment
• Written biosecurity protocols for specific management groups on the farm and for specific diseases
  o Who is responsible, clear monitoring, control points, indications for action, plan for corrective actions
• *vets should recommend it, even if they do not think producers will implement a biosecurity plan