Biosecurity in endemic foot and mouth disease settings: a case study of foot and mouth disease vaccination in South-East Asia.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection affecting cloven-hoofed animals including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs. The disease is endemic in several parts of Asia, as well as most of Africa and the Middle East. In 1997, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) established the South-East Asia Foot and Mouth Disease Campaign with the aim of increasing livestock sector productivity and economic output through the control and eradication of FMD in South-East Asia. Large-scale vaccination of livestock against FMD has in the past led to the successful eradication (or control) of the disease, for example in the Philippines. However, despite the benefit associated with large-scale vaccination, biosecurity risks can be created by vaccination teams moving between locations. It is therefore recommended that biosecurity measures are used by vaccination teams to prevent inadvertent disease spread. The majority of existing guidelines are focused on high-risk situations such as exotic animal disease outbreaks in developed countries, or agents posing a risk to human health. This paper describes the development of novel biosecurity guidelines for vaccination teams in South-East Asia. To achieve this, available literature was scanned followed by in-country workshops and field-testing of draft materials. Entry and exit procedures are laid out within the context of five core rules that follow the biosecurity principles of situational awareness, segregation, cleaning and disinfection. Guidelines and accompanying fact sheets were translated into local languages and included in a comprehensive vaccination training programme for all vaccination teams undertaking cattle FMD vaccination programmes in the New Zealand OIE FMD control project target countries (Myanmar and Laos). The material developed has wide practical relevance to veterinarians, traditional healers and village or community animal health workers, who all pose a heightened risk of spreading infectious agents.

La fièvre aphteuse est une maladie virale extrêmement contagieuse affectant les artiodactyles (dont les bovins, les buffles, les ovins, les caprins et les porcins). La maladie est présente à l'état endémique dans plusieurs régions d'Asie, dans presque toute l'Afrique et au Moyen-Orient. En 1997, l'Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (OIE) a lancé la Campagne de lutte contre la fièvre aphteuse en Asie du Sud-Est afin d'améliorer la productivité et la rentabilité économique du secteur de l'élevage à travers la lutte contre la fièvre aphteuse voire son éradication de la sous-région. Grâce à la vaccination à grande échelle du bétail, certains pays ont pu éradiquer (ou du moins contrôler) la fièvre aphteuse dans le passé, par exemple les Philippines. Si la vaccination à grande échelle est en soi bénéfique, elle comporte certains risques de biosécurité, liés aux déplacements des équipes de vaccination d'un site à l'autre. Il est donc recommandé que ces équipes appliquent des mesures de biosécurité visant à prévenir toute propagation accidentelle de la maladie. La plupart des lignes directrices existantes sont axées sur les situations présentant un niveau de risque élevé, par exemple la survenue de foyers de maladies animales exotiques dans les pays développés, ou d'agents pathogènes qui constituent un risque pour la santé publique. Dans cet article, les auteurs décrivent la méthodologie suivie pour élaborer des lignes directrices innovantes de biosécurité en Asie du Sud-Est, destinées aux équipes de vaccination. Ces lignes directrices ont été rédigées en passant en revue la littérature sur le sujet lors d'ateliers nationaux et en testant sur le terrain les projets de documents. Les procédures d'entrée et de sortie ont été établies en suivant cinq règles fondamentales fondées sur les grands principes de la biosécurité, à savoir la connaissance de la situation, la ségrégation, le nettoyage et la désinfection. Les lignes directrices et les fiches explicatives qui les accompagnent ont été traduites en langues locales et utilisées dans le cadre d'un programme complet de formation à la vaccination destiné à l'ensemble des équipes de vaccination participant aux programmes de vaccination du cheptel bovin contre la fièvre aphteuse dans les pays couverts par le projet Nouvelle-Zélande­OIE de lutte contre la fièvre aphteuse (Myanmar et Laos). Les matériels proposés présentent une utilité concrète pour les vétérinaires, les guérisseurs traditionnels et les auxiliaires communautaires ou villageois de santé animale, qui sont tous particulièrement exposés au risque de propager involontairement des agents de maladies infectieuses.

La fiebre aftosa es una infección vírica muy contagiosa que afecta a animales biungulados como el ganado vacuno, el búfalo, la oveja, la cabra o el cerdo. La enfermedad es endémica en varias zonas de Asia y en la mayor parte de África y Oriente Medio. En 1997, la Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal (OIE) instituyó la «Campaña de lucha contra la fiebre aftosa en el Sudeste asiático¼ con el objetivo de que el control y la erradicación de la enfermedad en la región se tradujeran en un aumento de la productividad y la rentabilidad económica del sector ganadero. En ocasiones anteriores la vacunación a gran escala del ganado ya ha resultado eficaz para erradicar (o controlar) la fiebre aftosa, por ejemplo en Filipinas. Sin embargo, pese a los beneficios que depara la vacunación a gran escala, los equipos que la llevan a cabo, al desplazarse de una a otra localidad, también pueden vehicular nuevos riesgos biológicos. Por ello se recomienda que esos equipos apliquen medidas de seguridad biológica destinadas a impedir la propagación accidental de la enfermedad. La mayoría de las directrices existentes al respecto están centradas en situaciones de gran riesgo, como brotes de enfermedades animales exóticas en países desarrollados o presencia de agentes infecciosos que entrañan peligro para la salud pública. Los autores describen la elaboración de nuevas directrices de seguridad biológica dirigidas a los equipos de vacunación que operan en el Sudeste asiático. Para empezar se hizo un repaso de la bibliografía existente, tras lo cual se celebraron talleres nacionales y se ensayaron sobre el terreno las medidas preconizadas en un primer borrador. Como parte de las directrices se instauran procedimientos de entrada y salida encuadrados en cinco reglas básicas que se ajustan a los grandes principios de seguridad biológica: conocimiento de la situación, segregación, limpieza y desinfección. Las directrices y las fichas descriptivas que las acompañan, una vez traducidas a los idiomas locales, fueron incluidas en un programa integral de formación en vacunaciones dirigido a todos los equipos que se disponían a intervenir en programas de vacunación antiaftosa del ganado en Myanmar y Laos, países beneficiarios del proyecto Nueva Zelanda­OIE de lucha contra la fiebre aftosa. El material elaborado reviste gran utilidad práctica para los veterinarios, curanderos tradicionales y trabajadores zoosanitarios de aldeas y comunidades, todos ellos portadores de un riesgo especialmente importante de propagar agentes infecciosos.

Creating a framework for the prioritization of biosecurity risks to the New Zealand dairy industry.

The New Zealand dairy sector relies on robust biosecurity measures to control and mitigate a wide range of threats to the industry. To optimize the prioritization of organisms and manage the risk they pose to the sector in a transparent and credible way, the Dairy Biosecurity Risk Evaluation Framework (D-BRiEF) was developed. This comprehensive framework was specifically designed for decision support, using a standardized approach to address the full spectrum of biosecurity threats to the sector, including exotic and endemic animal disease organisms, pest plants and insects. D-BRiEF is underpinned by three main processes, namely (i) hazard identification; (ii) multicriteria risk assessment; and (iii) communication for risk management. Expert knowledge and empirical data, including associated uncertainty, are harnessed in a standardized format. Results feed into a probability-impact model that was developed in close collaboration with dairy sector economists to provide overall comparative 10-year quantitative economic impact estimates for each assessed risk organism. A description of the overarching framework, which applies to diverse organism groups, is presented with detailed methodology on both endemic and exotic animal disease risk organisms. Examples of visual outputs are included, although actual ranking results are not reported due to industry confidentiality. D-BRiEF can provide a decision advantage to DairyNZ biosecurity risk managers and sector stakeholders by creating a transparent process that can be interrogated and updated at multiple levels to fully understand the layers of risk posed by different organisms.

Inferring source attribution from a multiyear multisource data set of Salmonella in Minnesota.

Salmonella enterica is a global health concern because of its widespread association with foodborne illness. Bayesian models have been developed to attribute the burden of human salmonellosis to specific sources with the ultimate objective of prioritizing intervention strategies. Important considerations of source attribution models include the evaluation of the quality of input data, assessment of whether attribution results logically reflect the data trends and identification of patterns within the data that might explain the detailed contribution of different sources to the disease burden. Here, more than 12,000 non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates from human, bovine, porcine, chicken and turkey sources that originated in Minnesota were analysed. A modified Bayesian source attribution model (available in a dedicated R package), accounting for non-sampled sources of infection, attributed 4,672 human cases to sources assessed here. Most (60%) cases were attributed to chicken, although there was a spike in cases attributed to a non-sampled source in the second half of the study period. Molecular epidemiological analysis methods were used to supplement risk modelling, and a visual attribution application was developed to facilitate data exploration and comprehension of the large multiyear data set assessed here. A large amount of within-source diversity and low similarity between sources was observed, and visual exploration of data provided clues into variations driving the attribution modelling results. Results from this pillared approach provided first attribution estimates for Salmonella in Minnesota and offer an understanding of current data gaps as well as key pathogen population features, such as serotype frequency, similarity and diversity across the sources. Results here will be used to inform policy and management strategies ultimately intended to prevent and control Salmonella infection in the state.

'Next-Generation' Surveillance: An Epidemiologists' Perspective on the Use of Molecular Information in Food Safety and Animal Health Decision-Making.

Advances in the availability and affordability of molecular and genomic data are transforming human health care. Surveillance aimed at supporting and improving food safety and animal health is likely to undergo a similar transformation. We propose a definition of 'molecular surveillance' in this context and argue that molecular data are an adjunct to rather than a substitute for sound epidemiological study and surveillance design. Specific considerations with regard to sample collection are raised, as is the importance of the relation between the molecular clock speed of genetic markers and the spatiotemporal scale of the surveillance activity, which can be control- or strategy-focused. Development of standards for study design and assessment of molecular surveillance system attributes is needed, together with development of an interdisciplinary skills base covering both molecular and epidemiological principles.

Use of Multicriteria Risk Ranking of Zoonotic Diseases in a Developing Country: Case Study of Mongolia.

Many developing countries face significant health burdens associated with a high incidence of endemic zoonoses and difficulties in integrated control measures for both the human and animal populations. The objective of this study was to develop and apply a multicriteria ranking model for zoonoses in Mongolia, a country highly affected by zoonotic disease, to inform optimal resource allocation at the national level. Diseases were evaluated based on their impact on human health, livestock sector health and the wider society through affects on the economic value of livestock, as well as the feasibility of control in both the human and livestock population. Data on disease in Mongolia were collected from various government departments including the Mongolian State Central Laboratory, the Mongolian Department of Veterinary and Animal Breeding, the Mongolian Ministry of Health, Mongolian National Center for Communicable Diseases, the National Center for Zoonotic Disease and expert opinion from a workshop with a number of Mongolian Government officials and researchers. A combined score for both impact of the disease and feasibility of its control was calculated. Five zoonotic diseases were determined to be of high priority from this assessment (i.e. ovine brucellosis, echinococcosis (hydatids), rabies, anthrax and bovine brucellosis). The results supported some of the findings for high-priority diseases (namely brucellosis, rabies and anthrax) from a previous priority setting exercise carried out in Mongolia in 2011, but also identified and ranked additional animal diseases of public health importance. While the process of model development was largely Mongolian specific, the experience of developing and parameterizing this multicriteria ranking model could be replicated by other countries where zoonoses have substantive impacts on both animal and human health.

Flexible thin-film polymer waveguides fabricated in an industrial roll-to-roll process.

The fabrication of flexible low-loss, thin-film, foil-based polymer waveguides with grating couplers employing a high-volume industrial roll-to-roll process is demonstrated. The embossed waveguides feature propagation losses of less than 1 dB/cm (633 nm, TE polarization), bending losses of 0.4-0.8 dB/360° for bending radii as small as 2 mm, and grating coupling efficiencies of up to 25%. In addition, the waveguides possess a thermo-optic coefficient of -1.58×10(-4) 1/°C. The fabricated waveguides are promising candidates for short-distance data communication as well as for sensing applications.

Molecular-based surveillance of campylobacteriosis in New Zealand--from source attribution to genomic epidemiology.

Molecular-based surveillance of campylobacteriosis in New Zealand contributed to the implementation of interventions that led to a 50% reduction in notified and hospitalised cases of the country's most important zoonosis. From a pre-intervention high of 384 per 100,000 population in 2006, incidence dropped by 50% in 2008; a reduction that has been sustained since. This article illustrates many aspects of the successful use of molecular-based surveillance, including the distinction between control-focused and strategy-focused surveillance and advances in source attribution. We discuss how microbial genetic data can enhance the understanding of epidemiological explanatory and response variables and thereby enrich the epidemiological analysis. Sequence data can be fitted to evolutionary and epidemiological models to gain new insights into pathogen evolution, the nature of associations between strains of pathogens and host species, and aspects of between-host transmission. With the advent of newer sequencing technologies and the availability of rapid, high-coverage genome sequence data, such techniques may be extended and refined within the emerging discipline of genomic epidemiology. The aim of this article is to summarise the experience gained in New Zealand with molecular-based surveillance of campylobacteriosis and to discuss how this experience could be used to further advance the use of molecular tools in surveillance.

Utilizing a combination of molecular and spatial tools to assess the effect of a public health intervention.

Until recently New Zealand had one of the highest rates of human campylobacteriosis reported by industrialized countries. Since the introduction of a range of control measures in the poultry production chain a reduction in human cases of around 50% has been observed nationwide. To inform risk managers a combination of spatial, temporal and molecular tools - including minimum spanning trees, risk surfaces, rarefaction analysis and dynamic source attribution modelling - was used in this study to formally evaluate the reduction in disease risk that occurred after the implementation of control measures in the poultry industry. Utilizing data from a sentinel surveillance site in the Manawatu region of New Zealand, our analyses demonstrated a reduction in disease risk attributable to a reduction in the number of poultry-associated campylobacteriosis cases. Before the implementation of interventions poultry-associated cases were more prevalent in urban than rural areas, whereas for ruminant-associated cases the reverse was evident. In addition to the overall reduction in prevalence, this study also showed a stronger intervention effect in urban areas where poultry sources were more dominant. Overall a combination of molecular and spatial tools has provided evidence that the interventions aimed at reducing Campylobacter contamination of poultry were successful in reducing poultry-associated disease and this will inform the development of future control strategies.

Integrated polymer-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer label-free streptavidin biosensor compatible with injection molding.

We report the development of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer biosensor based on a high index contrast polymer material system and the demonstration of label-free online measurement of biotin-streptavidin binding on the sensor surface. The surface of the polyimide waveguide core layer was functionalized with 3-mercaptopropyl trimethoxy silane and malemide tagged biotin. Several concentrations of Chromeon 642-streptavidin dissolved in phosphate buffered saline solution were rinsed over the functionalized sensor surface by means of a fluidic system and the biotin-streptavidin binding process was observed in the output signal of the interferometer at a wavelength of 1310 nm. Despite the large wavelength and the comparatively low surface sensitivity of the sensor system due to the low index contrast in polymer material systems compared to inorganic material systems, we were able to resolve streptavidin concentrations of down to 0.1 µg/ml. The polymer-based optical sensor design is fully compatible with cost-efficient mass production technologies such as injection molding and spin coating, which makes it an attractive alternative to inorganic optical sensors.