Biosecurity Research Articles

Biosecurity protocols and fish health management in Kenyan fish hatcheries: a key to sustainable production of quality fish seed

Aquaculture, or aquafarming, is increasingly becoming a vital farming activity globally to meet exponentially high demand for fish and reduce pressure on global capture fisheries. In Kenya, aquaculture growth has led to concerns over the supply of quality fish seed, with farmers often reporting involving fingerling adulteration and mislabelling where frog tadpoles are packed and supplied as Clarias gariepinus fingerlings and mixed-sex Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings are falsely sold to fish farmers as sex-reversed monosex Nile tilapia. This study aims to identify strategies to enhance the quality of fish seed production in the country. Primary data were collected via questionnaires and interviews using the Kobo toolbox. Respondents were selected through purposive and random sampling. The SPSS software was used for the analysis. Findings showed moderate reliance on specific reporting offices for fish disease cases and significant variation in disease types and bio security measures. Fish disease treatment and management practices were more engaged by hatchery operators than disease reporting. No significant differences were found between disease treatment and management, type of fish diseases encountered at the hatchery, and the nature of fingerlings produced (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the source of broodstock, biosecurity measures, type of fish diseases encountered, and the Disease Case Reporting Office (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found between biosecurity measures and the period when the hatchery was established (p > 0.05). Lack of financial support, inexperienced workforce, and a lack of knowledge in fish disease identification and treatment were the major problems affecting the sustainability of hatchery operations in the country. Aquaculture policymakers should establish financial support for hatcheries, implement disease management training, promote research collaborations for disease surveillance, and incentivize biosecurity measures among hatchery managers and farmers to improve aquaculture sustainability in Kenya. Further research should explore treatment methods and long-term sustainability to mitigate disease risks.

Alien Species Associated with New Introductions and Translocations of Commercial Bivalves in Italian Marine Waters

Importation and translocation of seeds and live animals for aquaculture purposes are well-established practices in the European and Italian shellfish market. However, these routines may be responsible for alien species introduction and spread, representing a risk for aquaculture activities, human health, as well as for environmental and biodiversity conservation. To estimate and reduce the potential impact of alien and locally absent species on aquatic habitats due to aquaculture practices, Member States have adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007, which provides guidance for risk analysis and contingency measures for mitigation. Despite this legal framework, traceability data for shellfish movements are currently lacking and need to be improved in all EU Member States. The present work presents an updated literature summary of alien species associated with bivalve farming and trading. The information herein collected will be helpful to upgrade the traceability system of farmed bivalves in Italian marine waters with reference to non-target species, representing a knowledge baseline for setting bio security plans to reduce their risk of introduction and further spreading.

Año de incertidumbre para la aplicación de las investigaciones en el campo de la salud

Si bien es conocido que el proceso de la educación superior ha logrado avanzar de alguna manera a través de la virtualidad; en el campo de la investigación y principalmente en países como el nuestro, se han hecho difíciles los procesos sistemáticos de este tipo de actividades, sin que no pase por algunas normas estrictas de bioseguridad para la revisión de pacientes, conversaciones con grupos humanos, aplicaciones de instrumentos adecuados dirigidos a la experiencia de la constatación de diagnósticos situacionales, etc.
 En este sentido en la investigación aplicada a la clínica, los procedimientos sistemáticos se han reducido a las encuestas online, a la observación de pacientes por la virtualidad y a conversaciones telefónicas.

Effect of Replacing Bone Ash with Fresh Water Snail (Pila Ampullacea) Shell Ash on Serum Biochemical Indices of Weaned Rabbits

Twenty five (25) mixed breed weaned rabbits were utilized in 84-days experiment to investigate the effect of replacing bone ash with fresh water snail (Pila ampullacea) shell ash on the serum biochemical composition of weaned rabbits. The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria for a period of 12 weeks. The rabbits were randomly assigned to the five dietary treatments and replicated five times giving a total of one rabbit per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Rabbits were raised intensively in hutches of about 4ft × 4ft. Five experimental diets tagged T1 to T5 were formulated such that fresh water snail (Pila ampullacea) shell ash replaced bone ash at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Feed and water were served ad libitum. Bio sanitary and bio security measures were strictly adhered to. At the end of the feeding trial, three rabbits per treatment were selected for the evaluation of serum biochemistry. The parameters assayed for were: total serum protein, serum globulin, serum albumin, cholesterol, serum calcium, and serum phosphorus. The study showed that the serum biochemical indices were not influenced (P˃0.05) by the dietary treatments except for calcium which was significantly (P<0.05) influenced, however, calcium values were within the normal reference values for rabbits. This study had shown that fresh water snail (Pila ampullacea) shell ash can serve as a substitute for bone ash in weaned rabbit diet up to 100% inclusion levels without adverse effect on the serum biochemical indices.

Effect of Replacing Bone Ash with Fresh Water Snail (Pila ampullacea) Shell Ash on the Performance of Weaned Rabbits

Twenty five weaned male rabbits of mixed breeds were used to investigate the effect of replacing bone ash with fresh water snail shell ash on the performance of weaned rabbits. The experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria for a period of 12 weeks. The rabbits were randomly assigned to the five dietary treatments and replicated five times giving a total of one rabbit per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). Rabbits were raised intensively in hutches of about 4ft × 4ft. Five experimental diets tagged T1 to T5 were formulated such that fresh water snail shell ash replaced bone ash at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Feed and water were served ad libitum. Bio sanitary and bio security measures were strictly adhered. The study showed that the growth parameters were not affected (P=.05) by the dietary treatments. This study had shown that fresh water snail shell ash can serve as a substitute for bone ash in weaned rabbits diet up to 100% without compromising their performances.

Geopolitical Competition of Great Powers and Biosecurity

The paper highlights the phenomenon of great powers competition and bio security and focuses on the impact of great power competition on bio security. The paper identifies how the bio security vulnerabilities are increased to competition among great powers. The research then explains how states have been involved in biological and chemical warfare historically and in great world wars. It also focuses on how states due to the phenomenon of security dilemma states engage in biological and chemical research as the states consider the environment of the international system anarchic. The research by using content analysis and qualitative method of research focused on how states had been involved in biological and chemical warfare in history and an extensive literature review was carried out.

Challenges to Biosecurity: Improving Responses and Reducing Challenges

The research explores the existing challenges to bio security due to competition among the great powers in the international system and hence focuses on how those challenges can be managed by increasing responses and reducing challenges at the state and global levels. The research hence focused on how the global community should respond so as to reduce challenges to bio security and hence suggests recommendations so as to mitigate the threats to bio security at the state and global level.This phenomenon of competition among great powers has generated many challenges to bio security. The vulnerabilities to the domain of bio security have much increased due to great powers competition. Hence in the COVID-19 outbreak, the Great power competition has lowered the measures of bio security and increased many threats to it.

Importancia de la Bioseguridad en Odontología, en tiempos de coronavirus

Introducción: La COVID -19 es reconocida como una pandemia, de manera general podemos afirmar que es la infección del siglo XXI que más emergencia sanitaria y luto ha logrado. La Bioseguridad hoy ha cobrado tal importancia que no solo es practicada por personal sanitario, en odontología las universidades incorporan en la formación actual sólo como unidades de aprendizaje hasta donde conocemos ninguna como materia siendo que podría ser la profesión con mayor riesgo de poder contraer la enfermedad. Este artículo se concentró en la revisión de la literatura en bases de datos sobre 4 medidas clave.

Legislative Moves on Biosecurity in China

Legislative Moves on Biosecurity in China

Performance of Rural and Peri-urban Dairying under Existing Management System in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh

This study was conducted by a baseline survey to explore the current scenario of dairying in respect of productive and reproductive performance under existing management practices such as breeding, feeding, housing, disease prevention etc. at four upazillas of Jhenaidah district in Bangladesh. Majority of the farms in the study area are classed as small holder following semiintensive method of rearing chiefly for three genotypes namely Indigenous (IG) (15.17%) Holstein Friesian (HF) crossbred (61.38%) and Shahiwal (SL) crossbred (23.45%). Along with rice straw and concentrate mixture, considerable amount of green grass as 6.32 ± 3.80, 7.71 ± 3.0 and 7.90 ± 3.54 kg/day/cow was supplied to IG, HF Cross and SL Cross respectively. Although 82.76% respondents provided anthelmintic to their cattle but 88.28% did not vaccinate their stock. Bio security measures are often ignored resulted in prevalence of different diseases including Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). Despite having no knowledge about frozen semen, 81.38% farm owner practice Artificial Insemination and among them 66.21% preferred semen of HF genotype. Age at first calving, length of dry period and post-partum oestrus of IG cows was significantly (p<0.01) higher than that of HF and SL cows. Higher significant difference was observed in calving intervals and gestation period (p>0.05). The average milk yields of IG, HF and SL cows were 0.96±0.59, 3.45±1.00 and 1.94±0.81 L/day/cow, respectively. The lactation length of HF and SL cows were significantly (p<0.05) higher than of IG cows. Majority of the farmers’ reaction regarding productive and reproductive performance of crossbred cows along with feed price, milk price, marketing system and veterinary service was disappointing to which this study recommend to address duly.

Are Emergency Services’ Emergency Operation Centres COVID-19 Ready?

Emergency operation centres (EOC) that provide triage, dispatch, command and control for ambulance, police or fire services are considered critical state infrastructure. They provide access to and control of life saving services and are required to be fully operational 24/7. Even minor disruptions to their operations of only a few minutes can potentially result in sever adverse outcomes or deaths within the community. As the COVID-19 is caused by a novel virus it raises questions regarding the bio security preparedness of these facilities. In the absence of published research related EOC operations during a pandemic this paper looks at the emerging public health evidence and how this can be translated into EOC operations.

Involvement of key stakeholders in controlling animal diseases in rural settings: Experiences with African swine fever in Uganda

Key stakeholders’ involvement in the design and enforcement of effective African swine fever (ASF) biosecurity measures is very vital. Unfortunately, many times key stakeholders are less involved in the policy designing process. This study analyzed information from stakeholders in Mukono District, to assess the acceptability of enforcing ASF biosecurity measures among key stakeholders. Mukono District has a high density of pigs and a history of frequent ASF outbreaks. Key informants (n = 23) were identified and interviewed in four sub-counties to generate an ASF control stakeholders’ list. Eleven stakeholder groups were identified by the Key Informants. Sixty participants representing different stakeholder groups identified through the Key Informant interviews participated in a workshop to assess stakeholders’ characteristics regarding strict enforcement of ASF control measures. Stakeholder grid analysis revealed 60% as drivers, and 40% as supporters. There were no blockers, abstainers, and bystanders. Despite this, majority of the groups (90%) did not have adequate capacity to implement the intervention due to financial constraints and inadequate technical support. These results show that there is great support for enforcement of biosecurity measures if stakeholders are facilitated with financial and technical support thereby limiting outbreaks of ASF in rural areas of Uganda. Key words: African swine fever, biosecurity, influence, power, roles, interests, stakeholder.

“Prevention is the biggest success”: Barriers and enablers to personal biosecurity in the thoroughbred breeding industry

Employees in the equine industry are at occupational risk of zoonoses such as Hendra virus and equine chlamydiosis through exposure to infected materials. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the views and experiences of employees, and the key drivers of infection control and personal biosecurity (PB) practices in the Thoroughbred breeding industry. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in 2018 in New South Wales, Australia using interviews (9) and small group discussions (7). The 29 participants included veterinarians, veterinary nurses, foaling staff, stud managers and laboratory personnel working in a range of equine medicine settings. Interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed manually by at least two members of the research team. An iterative approach was used to derive themes. Results: Five main themes emerged: (i) greater awareness of current and emerging infectious risks promotes use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); (ii) currently available PPE is not comfortable, practical or well-suited to equine reproductive work in Australia’s hot climate; (iii) creating supportive environments for PB reduces risk of exposure to infectious materials; (iv) strong leadership is required to implement sustainable change in workplace culture and practices; and (v) policy and economic factors play an important role in adopting biosecurity (BS) and PB measures in the workplace. Personnel working in the Australian Thoroughbred breeding industry face unique zoonotic risks in a challenging physical environment. A qualitative approach provided rich insights into social and physical factors motivating BS and PB in this occupational group. There is an opportunity for collaboration between Public Health services and industry partners to develop and implement strategies most likely to be effective in ensuring consistent uptake of PB measures in the workplace.

Analysis of biorisk management practices in clinical & research laboratories in major cities of KP Province, Pakistan

Biosecurity is the protection, control and accountability of biological agents and toxins within laboratories, in order to prevent their loss, theft, misuse, unauthorized access or intentional unauthorized release. Laboratories are responsible for biosafety and biosecurity that protects their workers, animal population, and the environment from exposure or spread of pathogens they come across with. The purpose of this preliminary study was to collect data in order to assess and evaluate the measures being taken for biosafety and biosecurity in clinical diagnostic and research labs. Visits to the sites were prescheduled and in some cases were informal and unscheduled with the hope to get a clear picture of the practices. A detailed observational survey and unwritten questions were used to elicit information. The focus was on laboratory licensing system, infrastructure, administration, quality assurance, collection, handling, processing, storage and transportation of clinical samples, waste disposal, Lab records, access to bio hazardous materials and security checks on pathogens, researchers and workers. Based on Standard BRM Guidelines, maximum numbers of the labs were below minimum required standard and were categorized as BSL-0. Variety of BSL-2 and BSL-3 category bacterial and viral pathogens were easily assessable and, therefore, were isolated and identified in our lab. We conclude that lab management is lacking at all levels. It is recommended that biosecurity concerns be conveyed to all stakeholders for designing and implementing action plan. Keywords: Biosafety; Biosecurity; Clinical labs; Research labs http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90222

Evaluation of Apparent Microflora and Study of Antibiotic Resistance of Coliforms Isolated from the Shells of Poultry Eggs in Moscow-Russia

Background: Antibiotic resistance is increasingly an issue in both human health and veterinary medicine. It is important to regularly assess the resistance of strains which have high potential to transmit this resistance. Numerous researches have shown so far that coli forms are part of these bacteria and coliforms from breeding environments (in particular poultry farming) are the most concerned because of their permanent exposure to antibiotics and adaptation that could result.
 Aim: This work was carried out to investigate the sensitivity to antibiotics of coliforms isolated from the shell of poultry eggs.
 Methods: A total of 191 egg samples (149 chicken eggs and 42 quail eggs) were collected in supermarket of the city of Moscow, coliforms bacteria were isolated the shells of these eggs and their sensitivity to antibiotics was achieved by employing modified Kirby-Bauer’s disc method. The results have been analysed and interpreted using the Guidelines of Ministry of health of Russian Federation.
 Results and Discussion: It turns out that, among the 191 samples studied only 16.2% (31) of the chicken eggs contained coli forms, 7.3% (14) contained mold and 76.4% (146) were sterile while 81% (34) of quail eggs were sterile, 19% (8) contained mold and none contained coliforms. Of the 60 bacteria isolated, 39 (65%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic and the highest MAR Index observed was 0.58 while the lowest was 0.08. Of the 720 anti biograms performed, we observed 557 (77.4%) cases of sensitivity, 72 (10.0%) intermediate cases and 91 (12.6%) cases of resistance. The highest resistances were observed on tetracycline (50%), amoxycillin (40%) and ampicillin (30%) while the weakest resistances were observed on trimethoprim (11.7%), cefazolin (10%), ciprofloxacin (5%) and 1.7% for ceftriazone, fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin. A comparison between the sensitivity of the isolates to Cefazolin and their sensitivity to Cefazolin + Clavulanic acid showed that the difference between these two antibiotics was highly significant (P = 0.00).
 Conclusion: Antibiotic resistance of coliform bacteria isolated was high, with the highest MAR Index observed equal to 0.58. The bio security relating to the use of antibiotics must be reinforced, better use of current known antibiotics is necessary to prolong their effectiveness over time.

Pathogen security and human biosecurity for microbiologists

Pathogen security and human biosecurity for microbiologists

Regulatory and technological prerequisites of the use of sewage sludge for the production of organic fertilizers

Annotation Purpose. Summarize the regulatory and technological requirements for the production of organic (organo-mineral) fertilizers on the base of sewage sludge. Methods. Analysis and generalization of the requirements of regulatory documents on the management of organic waste and their use as raw materials for the production of organic fertilizers and soil improvers. Results. The current legislative, departmental and regulatory documentary base in Ukraine concerning the treatment of sediment resulting from biological sewage treatment at municipal wastewater treatment plants for its further use in agriculture as fertilizers is analysed. Indicators are identified and analysed to determine the possibility, feasibility, efficiency and scope of organic fertilizers produced using sewage sludge. The analysis of changes in the content of organic matter and total nitrogen in the sewage sludge during its storage at the sewage treatment plant sites is presented. The technological feasibility of using sludge of different shelf life in composting production has been determined. Conclusions 1. The regulatory framework of Ukraine contains a sufficiently complete list of indicators that should be met by organic raw materials (sewage sludge) for further use as organic fertilizers. Some of these indicators – bio security and heavy metals content – can be improved in the composting process of fertilizers. 2. Fresh sediment, as well as sediment accumulated in the last late autumn and winter periods, is of main value for use as a raw material in the production of organic fertilizers. 3. The use in the production of compost sludge stored on sludge sites for a period of half a year or more requires special control of the process of decontamination. In this case, it is advisable to use additional means of wastewater decontamination. Keywords: heavy metals, manure, humus, decontamination, composting, organic fertilizers, sewage sludge.

Pilot study assessing the possible benefits of a higher level of implementation of biosecurity measures on farm productivity and health status in Belgian cattle farms.

Over the last few years, the interest of decision-makers and control agencies in biosecurity (BS), aiming at preventing and controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases, has considerably increased. Nevertheless, previous studies highlighted a low implementation level of biosecurity measures (BSM), especially in cattle farms; different reasons were identified such as perceived costs, utility, importance, increased workload and lack of knowledge. In order to convince cattle farmers to adopt BSM, it is necessary to gather more information and evidence on their cost-effectiveness and their importance or utility in terms of disease prevention and control. The objectives of this study were to determine whether the farm or farmers' profile correlated with the implementation level of BSM and if there was a positive correlation between the BSM implementation and the farm production and health parameters. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews conducted in 100 Belgian farms as part of a stratified and randomized survey. The Regional Animal Health Services provided the farm health status and production data. A general BS score and five sub-scores related to the five BS compartments (bio-exclusion, bio-compartmentation, bio-containment, bio-prevention and bio-preservation) were calculated for each farm based on the implementation level of different BSM grouped in 16 domains. The study highlighted a significant and negative correlation between the mortality rates in adult cattle (over 24months of age) and young calves (aged 0-7days) and different BS compartment scores. The study also demonstrated that the farms having a higher general BS score were indeed more likely to have a BVD-free status. These evidence-based findings are encouraging as they demonstrate the benefits of implementing BSM and could promote their adoption by farmers.

Laboratory Bio security risk assessment

Laboratory Bio security risk assessment

2019 Biosafety and Biosecurity Month-Beyond the Lab: Increasing the Visibility of Biosafety and Biosecurity.

2019 Biosafety and Biosecurity Month-Beyond the Lab: Increasing the Visibility of Biosafety and Biosecurity.