Pig Farms Research Articles

Behavior Tracking and Analyses of Group-Housed Pigs Based on Improved ByteTrack

Daily behavioral analysis of group-housed pigs provides critical insights into early warning systems for pig health issues and animal welfare in smart pig farming. In this study, our main objective was to develop an automated method for monitoring and analyzing the behavior of group-reared pigs to detect health problems and improve animal welfare promptly. We have developed the method named Pig-ByteTrack. Our approach addresses target detection, Multi-Object Tracking (MOT), and behavioral time computation for each pig. The YOLOX-X detection model is employed for pig detection and behavior recognition, followed by Pig-ByteTrack for tracking behavioral information. In 1 min videos, the Pig-ByteTrack algorithm achieved Higher Order Tracking Accuracy (HOTA) of 72.9%, Multi-Object Tracking Accuracy (MOTA) of 91.7%, identification F1 Score (IDF1) of 89.0%, and ID switches (IDs) of 41. Compared with ByteTrack and TransTrack, the Pig-ByteTrack achieved significant improvements in HOTA, IDF1, MOTA, and IDs. In 10 min videos, the Pig-ByteTrack achieved the results with 59.3% of HOTA, 89.6% of MOTA, 53.0% of IDF1, and 198 of IDs, respectively. Experiments on video datasets demonstrate the method’s efficacy in behavior recognition and tracking, offering technical support for health and welfare monitoring of pig herds.

LITTERSIZE DAN MORTALITAS TERNAK BABI DARI PARITAS YANG BERBEDA PADA LOKASI INSTALANSI PENGOLAHAN SAMPAH TERPADU DI KOTA AMBON

This purpose of this research is to litter size and mortality of pig farming from different parity sows at the integrated waste management installation site in Ambon City. The research method which is conducted is survey method by doing census technique. Variabels that observed are variable treatment in each respons: a) litter size and b) pre-weaning piglet mortality. The results showed that the parity of different parents had no significant effect on litter size. This indicates that the parity factor does not play an important role in influencing the size of the litter born in the population studied. Piglet mortality rates also showed no significant difference among the parity groups. Thus, the parity of sows in this population had no effect on the survival rate of pre-weaning piglets.

Insights into the Acute Stress of Glutaraldehyde Disinfectant on Short-Term Wet Anaerobic Digestion System of Pig Manure: Dose Response, Performance Variation, and Microbial Community Structure

The outbreak of epidemics such as African swine fever has intensified the use of disinfectants in pig farms, resulting in an increasing residual concentration of disinfectants in environmental media; however, the high-frequency excessive use of disinfectants that damage pig farm manure anaerobic fermentation systems and their mechanisms has not attracted enough attention. Especially, the complex effects of residual disinfectants on anaerobic fermentation systems for pig manure remain poorly understood, thus impeding the application of disinfectants in practical anaerobic fermentation systems. Herein, we explored the effects of glutaraldehyde disinfectant on methane production, effluent physicochemical indices, and microbial communities in a fully automated methanogenic potential test system (AMPTSII). The results show that adding glutaraldehyde led to remarkable alterations in methane production, chemical oxygen demand (COD), volatile solids (VS), and polysaccharide and phosphorus concentrations. During the anaerobic process, the production of methane displayed a notable decrease of 5.0–98% in all glutaraldehyde treatments, and the trend was especially apparent for treatments containing high levels of glutaraldehyde. Comparisons of the effluent quality showed that in the presence of 0.002–0.04% glutaraldehyde, the COD and total phosphorus (TP) increased by 12–310% and 15–27%, respectively. Moreover, the addition of 0.01–0.08% glutaraldehyde decreased the ammonium (NH4+-N) concentration and VS degradation rate by 7.7–15% and 4.9–26.2%. Furthermore, microbiological analysis showed that the glutaraldehyde treatments had adverse effects on the microbial community. Notably, certain functional bacteria were restrained, as highlighted by the decreases in relative abundance and microbial diversity by 1.3–17% and 0.06–21%, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis for the rational use of disinfectants in anaerobic fermentation systems.

Ontology-based Data Integration Framework for Smart Pig Farms

Semantic web technology is known to enhance data for the connection of information using a network that can be easily read by machines. This work applies an ontology to integrate data involved in swine farm management towards the development of smart farm for swine. To realize environmental data, IoT devices including sensors, camera, and RFID readers were deployed in a pig farm. Despite differences in data format from different sources, an ontology was crafted to provide semantic annotations that could unify the data and enhance them with tangible relationships based on the domain knowledge. The core concepts of this ontology were sensing data with temporal information and identifiable data to represent relationship between real-time environmental features and the pigs within the pen to improve pig management. The semantically enhanced data can thus be applied with semantic-based queries and inference reasoner. Smart services including monitoring, decision support, alerting, and automatic executing based on the deployed IoT devices are thus enabled to support farm managements towards smart farm for swine. From the results, we found that the integrated sensing information from sensors and knowledge given in the developed ontology with inference rules assists the task of interpretation of monitored information and decision-making to improve swine farm management. The data gathered could be extended by combining two or more factors such as temperature and humidity into heat index using knowledge inference to precisely understand environmental information and activate the relevant machine automatically.

Identification of trait-associated microRNA modules in liver transcriptome of pig fed with PUFAs-enriched supplementary diet.

Dietary lipids provide energy, are cellular structural components, and are involved in physiological processes. Lipids are the dietary source in supplementary diet experiments in pigs. This study aims to investigate the dietary effects of PUFAs on the hepatic transcriptome and physiological pathways of two diets on two pig breeds. Polish Landrace (PL: n = 6) and six PLxDuroc (PLxD: n = 6) pigs were fed with a normal diet (n = 3) or PUFAs-enriched healthy diet (n = 3), and the hepatic miRNA profiles were studied for weighted gene co-expression network analysis biological interactions between gene networks and metabolic pathways of DE miRNA genes. The study identified trait-associated modules that were significantly associated with four phenotypic traits in the dietary groups of PL and PLxD: meat colour (a*), shoulder subcutaneous fat thickness, conductivity 24h post-mortem (PE24), and ashes. Trait-wise, a large set of co-expressed miRNAs of porcine liver were identified in these trait-associated significant modules (9, 7, 2, and 8) in PL and PLxD. Each module is represented by a module eigengene (ME). Forty-four miRNAs out of 94 miRNAs interacted with 6719 statistically significant target genes with a target score > 90. The GO/pathway analysis showed association with pathways including regulation of metallopeptidase activity, sebaceous gland development, collagen fibril organization, WNT signalling, epithelial tube morphogenesis, etc. The study showed the differences in miRNA expression between the dietary groups of PL and PLxD breeds. Hub genes of discovered miRNA clusters can be considered predicted miRNA genes associated with PE24, meat colour, shoulder subcutaneous fat thickness, and ashes. Discovered target genes for miRNA clusters play significant roles in biological functions such as (i) muscle and body growth development, (ii) different cellular processes and developments, (iii) system development, and (iv) metabolic processes.

A multi-epitope subunit vaccine providing broad cross-protection against diverse serotypes of Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis infection represents a major challenge in pig farming and public health due to its zoonotic potential and diverse serotypes, while existing vaccines lack effective cross-protection. This study employed reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics to identify 8 conserved proteins across 11 prevalent serotypes of S. suis. 16 candidate epitopes were selected to design three multi-epitope antigens against S. suis (designated as MEASs), which fused with a dendritic cell-targeting peptide to improve antigen presentation in host. Purified MEASs displayed favorable cross-reactogenicity against 29 serotype-specific antiserums. Robust humoral and cellular immune responses can be induced by MEAS 1 and MEAS 3 in a mouse model, which provided substantial protection against virulent strains from two different serotypes. In particular, their immune serums exhibited positive opsonization effects within bloodstream and macrophage phagocytosis. Taken together, we identified two promising MEASs with excellent cross-protection, offering potential in preventing S. suis infections in a mouse model.

Mature compost enhanced the harmlessness level in co-composting swine manure and carcasses in large-scale silo reactors

This study aimed to investigate the impact of incorporating mature compost on the harmlessness and maturity level of composting from swine manure and carcasses from industrialized pig farms in continuously running large-scale silo reactor systems. The potential human or animal bacterial pathogens and core bacterial community in composting were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The results showed that the addition of mature compost in the GD group significantly increased the temperature of all depths, the accumulated temperature of compost, and the germination index (75.43%) compared to that in the HN group without mature compost. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the dominated genera in GD were Ureibacillus, Lactobacillus, Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, and Jeotgalicoccus, and the addition of mature compost could significantly increase the relative abundance of Ureibacillus (16.82%) that was associated with the biodegradation of organics. A total of 421 potential bacterial pathogens were detected, and the dominated genera of pathogens were Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Anaerococcus. The potential pathogen in the GD group with mature compost was reduced from 7.16 to 0.77%, which was significantly lower than that (2.97%) in the HN group. Together, these findings revealed that mature compost addition in large-scale reactor composting could accelerate the harmless and humification process, providing an effective and environmentally friendly scheme to deal with the main organic wastes in intensive pig farms.

Complete genome characterization by nanopore sequencing of rotaviruses A, B, and C circulating on large-scale pig farms in Russia.

Rotaviruses are the major etiological agents of gastroenteritis and diarrheal outbreaks in plenty of mammalian species. The genus Rotavirus is highly diverse and currently comprises nine genetically distinct species, and four of them (A, B, C, and H) are common for humans and pigs. There is a strong necessity to comprehend phylogenetic relationships among rotaviruses from different host species to assess interspecies transmission, specifically between humans and livestock. To reveal the genetic origin of rotaviruses from Russian pig farms, nanopore-based metagenomic sequencing was performed on the PCR-positive specimens. Samples were selected among the cases submitted to routine diagnostic or monitoring studies to the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of "Federal Scientific Center VIEV" (Moscow, Russia). The selected positive samples were genotyped using nanopore sequencing method. Five porcine RVA isolates were completely sequenced, and genotype analysis revealed various porcine G/P genogroups: G2, G3, G4, G5, G11 and P[6], P[7], P[13], P[23], P[27] with a typical backbone constellation I5-R1-C1-M1-A8-N1-T1/7-E1-H1. The RVB isolate was detected in combination with RVA in a rectal swab from a diseased pig in Krasnoyarsk Krai. It was characterized by the following genogroups: G15-P[X]-I11-R4-C4-M4-A8-N10-T4-E4-H7. The first complete porcine RVC genome from Russia was obtained with genomic constellation G6-P[5]-I14-R1-C1-M1-A7-N9-T6-E1-H1, and the phylogenetic analysis revealed putative novel genotype group for the VP6 gene-I14. Additionally, the first porcine kobuvirus isolate from Russia was phylogenetically characterized. The applied nanopore sequencing method successfully genotyped the RV isolates and additionally revealed co-circulated species. The study demonstrates high genetic variability of Russian RVA isolates in VP4/VP7 genes and phylogenetically describes local RVB and RVC. Complete characterization of genomic segments is a crucial methodology in tracing the rotavirus's evolution and evaluating interspecies transmissions.

The influence of host genotype and gut microbial interactions on feed efficiency traits in pigs

Feed efficiency and growth performance are economically important traits in pigs. Precious studies have been revealed that both genetics and gut microbes could influence host phenotypes, however, the mechanisms by which they affect pig growth and feed efficiency remain poorly understood. In this study, 361 crossbred Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) commercial pigs were genotyped using GeneSeek Porcine SNP50K BeadChip, and the microbiotas from fecal samples were acquired using microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology to investigate the impact of host genetics and gut microorganisms on growth and feed efficiency. The results showed that the heritability and enterobacterial force ranged from 0.27 to 0.46 and 0 to 0.03, respectively. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified seven significant SNPs to be associated with growth and feed efficiency, and several genes, including AIF1L, ASS1, and QRFP were highlighted as candidates for the analyzed traits. Additionally, microbiome-genome-wide association studies GWAS revealed potential links between CCAR2, EGR3, GSTM3, and GPR61 genes and the abundance of microorganisms, such as Trueperella, Victivallis, and Erysipelatoclostridium. In addition, six microbial genera linked to growth and feed efficiency were identified as follows Lachnospiraceae_UCG-005, Prevotellaceae_UCG-003, Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, Prevotella_1, Prevotella_9, and Veillonella. Our findings provide novel insights into the factors influencing host phenotypic complexity and identify potential microbial targets for enhancing pig feed efficiency through selective breeding. This could aid in the development of strategies to manipulate the gut microbiota to optimize growth rates and feed efficiency in pig breeding.

Application of PID algorithm in temperature control of pig houses farmers' mental health from the perspective of social ecological system and its implications for agricultural production efficiency

This study investigates the application of PID algorithm-based temperature control systems in pig house environmental management and its impact on agricultural production efficiency. Through field experiments conducted at Dongshun Aquaculture Ecological Development Co., Ltd. in Nanping City, Fujian Province, we evaluated the system's effectiveness in energy efficiency, production performance, and animal health. Results show that the PID system achieved 18.5% energy savings, a 9% increase in daily weight gain, and a 7.1% improvement in feed conversion ratio. Additionally, meat quality scores improved by 8.3%, and disease incidence rates decreased by 21.9%. Economic analysis indicates that the system begins to generate a positive return on investment in the second year, with cumulative benefits reaching 192% within five years. These findings highlight the potential of PID temperature control systems in improving pork production efficiency and sustainability, offering a valuable solution for modern pig farming.

PCV2 AND PCV3 GENOTYPING IN WILD BOARS FROM SERBIA

Porcine circoviruses 2 and 3 (PCV2 and PCV3) are known agents of diseases in domestic pigs and wild boars. PCV2 is an economically important pathogen causing porcine circovirus-associated diseases (PCVAD), while the recently discovered PCV3 is associated with similar disorders. Wild boars can serve as a PCV reservoir for domestic pigs, which is a particular risk for pig farms with low biosecurity. Reports of these infections in Serbia are sporadic, and this study was intended as a follow-up to an earlier study. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and genetic characteristics of PCVs circulating in wild boars in a region in north-eastern Serbia with extensive hunting areas. In our study of 103 samples, 17.48% tested positive for PCV2 and 15.53% for PCV3. The low co-infection rates in 2.94% of the PCR-positive samples, suggests these viruses circulate independently. PCV2 prevalence was lower than in our previous study (40.32% out of 124 samples), but the genetic stability of circulating strains was detected with a clear genotype shift towards PCV2d-2. Moreover, this is the first report of PCV3 occurrence in wild boar in Serbia, and the detected strains were grouped into two genotypes: PCV3-1 and PCV3-3c. The PCV3-1 sequences were clustered with German strains, indicating the prevalence of this genotype in Europe. However, no further geographical correlation could be established, as the PCV3-3c representative was separated within the cluster containing Chinese and Indian strains. Furthermore, there was no correlation between PCV positivity and pathological findings in the sampled animals indicating subclinical infection.

Novel Method for Detecting Coughing Pigs with Audio-Visual Multimodality for Smart Agriculture Monitoring

While the pig industry is crucial in global meat consumption, accounting for 34% of total consumption, respiratory diseases in pigs can cause substantial economic losses to pig farms. To alleviate this issue, we propose an advanced audio-visual monitoring system for the early detection of coughing, a key symptom of respiratory diseases in pigs, that will enhance disease management and animal welfare. The proposed system is structured into three key modules: the cough sound detection (CSD) module, which detects coughing sounds using audio data; the pig object detection (POD) module, which identifies individual pigs in video footage; and the coughing pig detection (CPD) module, which pinpoints which pigs are coughing among the detected pigs. These modules, using a multimodal approach, detect coughs from continuous audio streams amidst background noise and accurately pinpoint specific pens or individual pigs as the source. This method enables continuous 24/7 monitoring, leading to efficient action and reduced human labor stress. It achieved a substantial detection accuracy of 0.95 on practical data, validating its feasibility and applicability. The potential to enhance farm management and animal welfare is shown through proposed early disease detection.

Oral Bacillus subtilis spores-based vaccine for mass vaccination against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) poses a significant challenge in the global swine industry, leading to substantial economic losses and reproductive and respiratory complications. The causative agent, PRRS virus (PRRSV), with its high mutation rate, complicates the development of universally effective vaccines. Furthermore, current PRRS vaccines are limited by high costs and complex administration methods. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to develop an innovative Bacillus subtilis spore-based oral vaccine targeting PRRS. Their oral administration was evaluated in mice and pigs, and blood, saliva, feces, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples were collected for further analyses. Our vaccine induced IgG and IgA immune responses in both models, with swine demonstrating considerable increase in specific antibody and cytokine levels. These results indicate a high potential for more effective and economically viable control of PRRS in commercial pig farming. The ease of administration and cost-effectiveness of the vaccine also offer a feasible option for widespread application. Our results suggest a new direction in veterinary vaccine development, underscoring the potential of B. subtilis spores in creating effective vaccines for large-scale, real-world applications in animal health management.

Mathematical Model on The Control of Intestinal Torsion in Pigs

An institutional based research at Federal College of Education (Technical) Ekiadolor, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, examined a pig farm in the Ovia North East Local Government Area, investigating a mathematical model on the control of intestinal torsion in pigs through vaccination and fibre-rich nutritional feeds. It results in the application of a four-compartment mathematical model for pig intestinal torsion, which is made up of the classes S, I, V, and R for the Susceptible, Infected, Vaccinated and Recovered classes. This model is used to solve for the reproduction number (R0) using the Next Generation Matrix (NGM), to solve the positivity model, to solve for the existence and uniqueness of the model, and to plot the model graphs using Maple.

Matrine regulates autophagy in ileal epithelial cells in a porcine circovirus type 2-infected murine model

IntroductionPorcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea in nursery and fattening pigs, resulting in huge economic losses for commercial pig farms. Protective efficacy of vaccines is compromised by mutations in pathogens. There is an urgent need to articulate the mechanism by which PCV2 destroys the host’s intestinal mucosal barrier and to find effective therapeutic drugs. Increasing attention has been paid to the natural antiviral compounds extracted from traditional Chinese medicines. In the present study, we investigated the role of Matrine in mitigating PCV2-induced intestinal damage and enhancing autophagy as a potential therapeutic strategy in mice.MethodsA total of 40 female, specific-pathogen-free-grade Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups with 10 mice in each group: control, PCV2 infection, Matrine treatment (40 mg/kg Matrine), and Ribavirin treatment (40 mg/kg Ribavirin). Except for the control group, all mice were injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 mL 105.4 50% tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50)/mL PCV2.ResultsWhile attenuating PCV2-induced downregulation of ZO-1 and occludin and restoring intestinal barrier function in a PCV2 Kunming mouse model, treatment with Matrine (40 mg/kg) attenuated ultrastructural damage and improved intestinal morphology. Mechanistically, Matrine reversed PCV2-induced autophagosome accumulation by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and upregulating Beclin1 protein expression, thus resisting viral hijacking of enterocyte autophagy.DiscussionOur findings demonstrate that Matrine may be a novel, potential antiviral agent against PCV2 by activating intestine cellular autophagy, which provides a new strategy for host-directed drug discovery.

Diachronic evolution in subsistence strategies of ancient humans from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age in the Western Liaohe River Basin and its influencing factors

The Western Liaohe River Basin, rich in prehistoric cultures, is one of the significant origins of Chinese civilization. However, what is the subsistence basis that supports the development of prehistoric cultures in this region? More importantly, which role did agriculture play in the development of various prehistoric cultures? Which factors drive the diachronic evolution in subsistence strategies? These issues are worthy of study. Based on this, we systematically collected zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical, and stable isotope data from various prehistoric archeological cultural sites spanning from the Neolithic Age to the Bronze Age in the Western Liaohe River Basin, attempting to explore their economic characteristics, evolution process as well as driving factor. The study found that in the Western Liaohe River Basin, the cultivation of millet crops may have begun as early as the Xiaohexi cultural period, and domestic pigs and dogs may have occurred in the Xinglongwa cultural period (Xionglongwa and Xionglonggou site respectively). However, during Hongshan cultural period, collection and hunting (cervids) remained the main subsistence strategy. In the Lower Xiajiadian cultural period, millet agriculture and domestic pig breeding replaced gathering and hunting, as the predominant subsistence strategy. This subsistence pattern was also adopted by subsequent Upper Xiajiadian cultural populations, and in some areas, animal husbandry developed during this period. We analyze that the evolution of the subsistence strategies of the prehistoric humans in this region may be related with Holocene climate change. Meanwhile, other factors such as improvements in production technology, population pressure and the environmental impacts they brought may also play a role. This study reveals the evolution process of subsistence strategies of prehistoric cultures in the Western Liaohe River Basin, and is of great significance in understanding the relationship between subsistence evolution of ancient populations and environmental changes in northern China.

The introduction of a highly virulent PRRSV strain in pig farms is associated with a change in the pattern of influenza A virus infection in nurseries

The present study aimed to determine the dynamics of influenza A virus (IAV) infection in two endemically infected farms (F1 and F2), where a longitudinal follow-up of piglets was performed from birth to 8–12 weeks of age. During the study, a highly virulent isolate of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was introduced on both farms. This allowed us to examine the impact of such introduction on the patterns of infection, disease, and the antibody response of pigs to IAV infection. The introduction of the new PRRSV strain coincided with a change in the dynamics of IAV infection on both farms. In F1, the cumulative incidence of IAV increased from 20% before the outbreak to 67.5%, together with the existence of animals that tested positive for IAV (RT‒qPCR) in nasal swabs for two or more consecutive samples. In F2, the cumulative incidence of IAV increased from 50% before the PRRSV outbreak to 70%, and the proportion of prolonged IAV shedders increased sharply. Additionally, some animals were infected with the same IAV twice during the observation period. In contrast to previous reports, our study revealed that prolonged shedding was not related to the titres of maternally derived antibodies at the time of infection but was significantly (p < 0.05) related to PRRSV infection status. Notably, both before and after the PRRSV outbreak, a high proportion of IAV-infected piglets did not seroconvert, which was significantly (p < 0.05) related to the hemagglutination inhibition titres against IAV when infected.

Genomic diversity of Salmonella Typhimurium and its monophasic variant in pig and pork production in France.

Salmonellosis is a leading cause of bacterial infection in humans and animals around the world. This study provides a snapshot of the genomic diversity of one of the most prevalent Salmonella serovars (Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:-) circulating on French pig farms between 2013 and 2021. We investigated the link between geographical and genomic diversity. The analyses revealed little diversity of the strains, suggesting that one or two clones are spreading within French pig herds. We also in silico screened genetic elements that could explain the prevalence of these strains among farmed pigs and in the slaughterhouse environment. Finally, the comparison with isolates from other countries highlighted the genomic specificity of these two French sequence type 34 clones. This work provides new insights into the dynamics of S. Typhimurium and S. 4,[5],12:i:- sampled from pig herds and slaughterhouses in France, thus laying the foundations for future analyses.

Indigenous Technical Knowledge and Its Potential Application to Uganda's Pig Sub‐Sector

ABSTRACTUganda's pork consumption is speculated to exceed any other livestock meat consumption by 2050. However, the current trend in pig production may not meet the demand due to pig production constraints such as recurrent disease incidences and high feeding costs. The proposed modern practices are not cost‐effective, especially for resource‐constrained pig farmers. This review, therefore, synthesises previous studies on the practicability of integrating Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in pig production to mitigate the prevailing pig production challenges in Uganda. By employing ITK, smallholder farmers have realised that indigenous pig breeds are disease‐resistant and suit the prevailing harsh tropical conditions. In addition, affordable plant‐based concoctions have been developed to cure diseases in pigs. For example, Centella asiatica has been identified as a potential purgative for diarrhoeal infections. Integrating pigs in cropping systems has also been adopted as a low‐cost alternative to effectively feed pigs for optimal performance. Fortunately, most of the ITK options for solving pig production challenges are feasible in Uganda. Thus, ITK should be embedded in the country's extension system to increase smallholder farmers' awareness about its potential of improving pig production. An ITK‐modern technology integration would probably meet the acceptance and be suitable for commercial pig producers.

Design of a Simulation Model for the Diagnosis of Classical Swine Fever Virus in Ecuadorian Farms

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a disease that slows down animal production and international trade; therefore, its identification is key in pig farms to take the relevant health measures. Therefore, the objective of this research was to design a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) simulation model to carry out epidemiological modeling for the identification of outbreaks of classical swine fever in the Sierra Region of Ecuador, using Python software and historical data on incidences of this disease in the provinces of the Ecuadorian highlands, considering the variables pig population, initial number of exposed pigs, initial number of infected, number of pigs removed, contagion rate (α), transmission rate (β), and recovery rate (γ). The results show that the SEIR model allowed us to determine that the population of susceptible (healthy) pigs decreases over time until reaching zero. This decrease in susceptibility occurred during the first 15 days, which shows that this is the time necessary to infect the entire population with an infected person. Therefore, the exposed population increases during the 15 days that the total infection process lasts and then decreases. It is also identified that throughout these five years of analysis of the past, it has been increasing from 2015 to 2019, which hurt the yields and productivity of pig farms in the Ecuadorian mountains.