Biosecurity is the foundation for all
disease prevention programs and all the more important in antibiotic reduction
scenarios. It includes the combination of all measures taken to reduce the risk
of introduction and spread of diseases and is based on the prevention of and
protection against infectious agents. Its fundament is the knowledge of disease
transmission processes.
Although biosecurity is considered the cheapest and most
effective intervention in antibiotic reduction programmes, compliance is often
low and difficult.
The application of consistently high standards of biosecurity
can substantially contribute to the reduction of antimicrobial resistance, not
only by preventing the introduction of resistance genes into the farm but also
by lowering the need to use antimicrobials.
LOWER
USE OF ANTIMICROBIALS WITH HIGHER BIOSECURITY
Studies and assessments such as those done
by (Laanen, et al., 2013), (Gelaude, et
al., 2014), (Postma, et al., 2016),
(Collineau, et al., 2017) and (Collineau, et
al., 2017a) relate a high farm biosecurity or improvements in
biosecurity with lower antimicrobial use. Laanen, Postma, and Collineau studied
the profile of swine farmers in different European countries, finding a
relation between a high level of internal biosecurity, efficient control of
infectious diseases, and a reduced need for antimicrobials.
Others such as Gelaude and Collineau
studied the effect of interventions. The former examined Belgian broiler farms,
finding a reduction of antimicrobial use by almost 30% when biosecurity and other
farm issues were improved within a year. The latter studied swine farms located
in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, in which antimicrobial use was also
reduced in 47% across all farms and observed that farms with the higher
biosecurity compliance and who also took a holistic approach, making other
changes (e.g. management and nutrition), achieved a higher reduction in
antimicrobial use.
BIOSECURITY
INTERVENTIONS PAY OFF
Of course, the interventions necessary to
achieve an increased level of biosecurity carry some costs. However, the
interventions, especially if taken with other measures such as improved
management of new-born animals and nutritional improvements, also improve
productivity. The same studies which report that biosecurity improvements decrease
antimicrobial use also report an improvement in animal performance. In the case
of broilers, Laanen (2013) found a reduction of 0.5 percentual points in
mortality and one point in FCR; and Collineau (2017) obtained an improvement
during both the pre-weaning and the fattening period of 0.7 and 0.9 percentual
points, respectively.
IMPLEMENTATION,
APPLICATION AND EXECUTION
Although biosecurity is considered the
cheapest and most effective intervention in antibiotic reduction programmes,
compliance is often low and difficult. The implementation, application, and
execution of any biosecurity programme involve adopting a set of attitudes and
behaviours to reduce the risk of entrance and spread of disease in all
activities involving animal production or animal care. Measures should not be
constraints but part of a process aimed at improving the health of animals and
people, and a piece of the holistic approach to reduce antibiotics and improve
performance.
DESIGNING
EFFECTIVE BIOSECURITY PROGRAMMES: CONSIDER THESE 5 PRINCIPLES
When designing or evaluating biosecurity
programmes, we can identify 5 principles that need to be applied. These
principles set the ground for considering and evaluating biosecurity
interventions:
1. Separation: Know
your enemy, but don’t keep it close
It is vital to have a good separation
between high and low-risk animals or areas on the farm, as well as dirty
(general traffic) and clean (internal movements) areas on the farm. This avoids
not only the entrance but the spread of disease, as possible sources of
infection (e.g. wild birds) cannot reach the sensitive population.
2. Reduction: Weaken
your enemy, so it doesn’t spread
The goal of the biosecurity measures is to
keep infection pressure beneath the level which allows the natural immunity of
the animals to cope with the infections, lowering the pressure of infection
e.g. by an effective cleaning and disinfection programme, by the reduction of
the stocking density, and by changing footwear when entering a production
house.
3. Focus: Hunt
the elephant in the room, shoo the butterflies
In each production unit, some pathogens can
be identified as of high economic importance. For each of these, it is
necessary to understand the likely routes of introduction into a farm and how
it can spread within it. Taking into account that not all disease transmission
routes are equally important, the design of the biosecurity programme should
focus first on high-risk transmission routes, and only subsequently on the
lower-risk transmission routes.
4. Repetition: Increasing
the probability of infection
In addition to the probability of pathogen
transmission via the different transmission routes, the frequency of occurrence
of the transmission route is also highly significant when evaluating a risk
(Alarcon, et al., 2013). When designing
biosecurity programmes, risky actions such as veterinary visits, if repeated
regularly must be considered with a higher risk.
5. Scaling: In
the multitude, it is easy to disguise
The risks related to disease introduction
and spread are much more important in big; more animals may be infected and
maintain the infection cycle, also large flocks/herds increase the infection
pressure and increase the risk by contact with external elements such as feed,
visitors, etc.
CAN WE STILL IMPROVE OUR
BIOSECURITY?
Almost 100% of poultry and swine operations
already have a nominal biosecurity programme, but not in all cases is it
effective or completely effective. BioCheck UGent, a standardised biosecurity
questionnaire applied worldwide, shows an average of 65% and 68% of conformity,
from more than 1000 broiler and 2000 swine farms between respectively;
opportunities to improve can be found in farms globally, and they pay off.
THE
BOTTOM LINE
Biosecurity is necessary for disease
prevention in any profitable animal production system. To make effective plans,
these 5 principles should be applied to choose the right interventions that
prevent the entrance and spread of disease. However, maintaining a successful
production unit requires a holistic approach in which other aspects of
biosecurity need to also be taken seriously, as well as actions to improve in
other areas such as management, health and nutrition.
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