Résumé : Les méthodes de capture-recapture servent à décrire l’état d’une population et les processus qui en sous-tendent la dynamique, lorsque les méthodes d’observation et de détection de cette population sont imparfaites. En surveillance des maladies infectieuses, elles peuvent simplement être utilisées pour estimer la taille totale de la population infectée par un pathogène et estimer quantitativement la sensibilité du système de surveillance de ce pathogène. Bien qu'exploitées très largement dans le domaine de la santé publique pour répondre à cet objectif, l'utilisation des méthodes de capture-recapture (CR) en surveillance des maladies infectieuses animales peut être considérée comme récente. Parce que le contexte de surveillance des maladies animales est nettement différent de celui de la surveillance des maladies humaines, des questions demeurent quant à l'intérêt et aux limites de ces méthodes pour estimer la sensibilité des systèmes de surveillance des maladies animales. Pour tenter de répondre à ces questions, nous avons identifié quatre systèmes de surveillance différents par leur complexité, leur efficacité et leur maladie d'intérêt : nous avons retenu les systèmes de surveillance de la fièvre aphteuse au Cambodge, de l’influenza aviaire hautement pathogène (IAHP) H5N1 en Egypte, de la tremblante ovine en France et de l’IAHP H5N1 en Thaïlande. Pour chacun de ces systèmes de surveillance, nous avons déterminé le modèle de CR le plus adapté compte tenu des données générées (respectivement le modèle de CR à deux sources, le modèle log-linéaire à 4 sources, le modèle de comptage tronqué en zéro et le modèle de comptage enflé en zéro). Pour chaque application, nous avons donc estimé le nombre total d'unités épidémiologiques non détectées par les systèmes de surveillance considérés ce qui nous a permis d’apprécier la sensibilité de chaque système de surveillance considéré. Il est ressorti de ces applications que les méthodes de capture-recapture sont relativement faciles à conduire et qu’elles permettent à faible coût d’estimer l’importance réelle d’une maladie sur un territoire quand celle-ci est surveillée de manière imparfaite. Il semble cependant que les pratiques de surveillance et de contrôle des maladies animales limitent les applications à l’échelle de l’animal, et nécessitent d’élargir l’unité épidémiologique à une échelle supérieure (troupeau, commune, etc…). Cet élargissement introduit de nouvelles contraintes (notamment l’hétérogénéité d’abondance) qu’il est nécessaire de prendre en compte pour ne pas biaiser les estimations finales. Ce travail propose des perspectives d’application en épidémiologie descriptive, ainsi que des perspectives méthodologiques de recherche en statistique et en modélisation. / Abstract: Capture-recapture methods are generally used to describe populations when observation processes are imperfect. In the context of disease surveillance, they can be used simply for estimating the total size of the populations infected by a given pathogen, and hence, estimating quantitatively the sensitivity of the surveillance of this pathogen. Although they are widely used in public health, capture-recapture methods have been barely applied to the surveillance of animal diseases. Because the context of animal health is quite different from the context of public health, some questions remain concerning the benefits and the limitations of such methods for estimating the sensitivity of surveillance systems in animal health. For answering this research question, we identified four animal disease surveillance systems that differ by their complexity, their efficiency and their disease of interest. We selected the surveillance of foot-and-mouth disease in Cambodia, of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in Egypt and Thailand, and of classical scrapie in France. For each surveillance system, we identified the most appropriate capture-recapture approach (respectively the two-source approach, the three-source approach, the zero-inflated approach and the zero-truncated approach). For each application, we estimated the total number of infected epidemiological units that remained undetected, and accessed an estimation of the sensitivity of each surveillance system. From these applications, we highlighted that these models are relatively easy to implement, and that they allow with little additional income to get an unbiased representation of the disease burden in a population when it is monitored with imperfect surveillance processes. However, it seems that practices used for the monitoring and controlling animal diseases tend to limit the applicability of these methods at the scale of the monitored unit. As a consequence, it is often necessary to enlarge the epidemiological unit (holding, commune, etc…) so that it comprises several monitored units. This enlargement introduces new constraints (abundance induced heterogeneity), that need to be taken into account in order not to bias final estimates. Finally, this work proposes surveillance perspectives for descriptive epidemiology, and methodological perspectives in statistics and modeling as well.

O presente estudo teve como objetivos observar a influência de programas de limpeza e desinfecção sobre o desempenho de frangos de corte e na microbiologia das instalações. Foram realizados dois experimentos, ambos com 960 pintos de corte criadosaté 42 dias. No primeiro experimento o piso foi forrado com maravalha nova. No segundo a cama foi reutilizada, proveniente do primeiro experimento. Os tratamentos foram: comum: retirada da matéria orgânica e lavagem da instalação com água; europeu: remoção seca da matéria orgânica, lavagem com água sob pressão, aplicação do detergente alcalino, enxague, secagem, e aplicação de dois desinfetantes(glutaraldeído+formaldeído e paraclorometacresol). Os dados de desempenho avaliados foram consumo de ração, ganho de peso, peso final, conversão alimentar, viabilidade e índice de eficiência produtiva. As análises microbiológicas realizadas foram contagem total de microrganismos, quantificação de Clostridium Spp., E. Coli, Salmonella Spp. e Aspergillus Spp. através de suabes de piso, parede, comedouros, bebedouros e cortinas. Foram ainda coletadas amostras de cama, ração e água para avaliação microbiológica. As analises estatísticas foram realizadas pelo teste F para desempenho e teste de Kruskal-Wallis para microbiologia ambos com índice de significância (p>0,05)através do procedimento GLM do programa SAS . No primeiro experimento não houve diferença estatística significativa para desempenho e avaliações microbiológicas. No segundo experimento notou-se melhor desempenho dos animais do tratamento Europeu e redução da carga microbiológica. A limpeza e desinfecção possuem influências positivas no desempenho de frangos de corte. / Thisstudy aimed toobserve the influenceof programsof cleaning and disinfecting in performanceof broilersand microbiologyof the facilities. Two experiments were conducted, both with960 chicksof one dayraised from until42 days. In thefirst experiment, thefloor wascovered withnew woodshavings. Inthesecondthe litter wasreused. The treatments were:Common: removal of organic matterand washingplant;European: removal of dry organic matter, wash with water under pressure, application ofalkaline detergent,rinsing,drying,and application oftwo disinfectants. The performance parameters werefeed intake, weight gain, finalweight, feed conversion,feasibilityand scoreproductiveefficiency. Microbiological analyzesweretotal count ofmicroorganisms, quantification ofClostridiumspp., E.Coli, Salmonellaspp. and Aspergillusspp.through suabesfloor, wall, feeders, drinkers andcurtains. Were alsocollectedsamples oflitter,feed andwater formicrobiological evaluation. Thestatistical analyzeswereperformedby the F testfor performance andKruskal- Wallis test for microbiologyboth witha significance level (p>0.05)using thecomputer programSASPROCGLM. In the first experimentthere was nostatistically significanteffectsfor performanceand microbiological analyzes. In the second experimentit was notedbetter poultry performance ofEuropeantreatmentand reduction ofmicrobialload. The cleaningand disinfectionhavepositive influenceson performanceof broilers.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Aleksan Shanoyan / Competition in the retail animal feed business can be challenging. Millennials are emerging as an increasingly important consumer group. Companies want to attract Millennials as new customers while at the same time retaining current customers of Baby Boomers and Gen X generations. Consequently, an important question is how do Millennial retail shopping habits for animal feed differ from that of other generations. To help answer this question the thesis research utilizes customer survey data obtained, from the Kent Nutrition Group. The data was collected through an online survey which was conducted with customers from Company W’s customer list. The total sample consists of 1068 customers. The data is analyzed using exploratory data analysis to gain insights on key differences and important attributes related to marketing and selling to customers from different generation groups. The results indicate that word of mouth serves as the largest initial source of awareness for all customers. Not surprisingly, the results show higher tendency to shop online and a preference for social media as a source of information by Millennials compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X customers. Knowledgeable staff and a positive in-store shopping experience continue to be a high priority for all customers. In general, e-mail or a mailed newsletter were identified as important communication methods by respondents of all generations. The results also show high preference by customers of all generations for receiving sales circulars and tips for animal and pet care. Sales circulars, direct mailers and newspaper ads are the core communication channels that customers view advertising from Company W. Three quarters of Company W’s customers expressed some level of interest in shopping online through Company W if the option were available. This implies that offering online shopping options will not only enhance the current customers’ experience but also attract new customers. The gained insights will be used by Company W to adapt and enhance their marketing and sales strategies to a) effectively engage and attract more Millennial customers and b) improve retention and service for customers of Baby Boomers and Gen X generations. The researcher will use the insights gained from this study to improve marketing efforts for the Kent Nutrition Group.

Lameness is considered one of the most important health and welfare issues in the dairy industry. Understanding the total cost per case of disease-specific lameness can help producers select better treatment, prevention, and control strategies for their herds. The first objective of our research was to calculate the costs associated with 3 lameness causing hoof diseases: digital dermatitis, sole ulcer, and white line disease. To accomplish this, a survey of hoof health professionals (hoof trimmers and veterinarians) was conducted to identify treatment related expenditures per case. Data from the hoof trimmer responses to the survey and previously published research were incorporated into a farm-level stochastic simulation model to determine the expected costs per case of each disease and the most influential factors associated with disease costs. The cost per case was calculated by disease type, severity (mild or severe), incidence timing (0 to 60 days in milk, 61 to 120 days in milk, 121 to 240 days in milk, or > 240 days in milk), and parity group (primiparous or multiparous). The second objective of our research was to determine the economic value of investing in different lameness prevention strategies. Two prevention strategies were considered: 1) prevention of infectious hoof diseases and 2) prevention of non-infectious hoof diseases. The total expenditures (therapeutics, outside labor, on-farm labor, and prevention costs) and losses (discarded milk, reduced milk production, extended days open, increased risk of culling, increased risk of death, and recurrence losses) associated with each prevention strategy before and after prevention implementation were calculated and compared to find the breakeven investment cost.

Thesis (M.S.), Biology--University of Central Oklahoma, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 27-35 ).

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2005. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 5 uppsater.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / Mycoplasma; it is not a household name for many Americans or people around the world, but for those in the livestock industry, it has been a major concern. Mycoplasma, a member of the class Mollicutes, has had and continues to have a major impact on the cattle, swine and poultry industry, causing conditions such as arthritis, otitis media, reduced growth rate and reduced egg production (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2011) (Okwara 2016). This class of bacteria is unlike other classes, as defined by the lack of a cell wall, and is considered by many to be the smallest self-replicating prokaryote (Jack Maniloff 1992). Due to its small size, it can reside within cells and even pass through some of the currently used sterilizing filters in the biological/pharmaceutical industry today (Pall Corporation n.d.). This creates a risk for Mycoplasma contamination for those facilities/research centers that use materials of animal origin, as Mycoplasma organisms have historically been a common contaminate of cell lines and laboratory cultures, affecting roughly 15-35% of cell cultures (Cara N. Wilder 2015). An added concern is the difficulty in treatment of infected animals once an infection is established. The Mollicutes class has been considered innately resistant to the antibiotic penicillin and other cephalosporins due to the lack of the cell wall (Jack Maniloff 1992). Due to the clinical significance and risk factors surrounding the Mollicutes class, it is a current regulatory requirement to test materials of animal origin for the presence or absence of Mycoplasma. The specific criteria for the presence or absence of Mycoplasma test is dependent upon the country in which the product is intended to be sold. For the purposes of this study, the required method and products will be for those intended for sale domestically in the United States, or countries accepting US methodologies. To test a material or product for the presence or absence of Mycoplasma according to the current USDA code of federal regulations (CFR), the method is not a rapid procedure or a simple traditional broth inoculation. The domestic method is a minimum 24 day test that requires complex broth and agar media for Mycoplasma recovery. The complex media requirement is due to the fact that Mycoplasma organisms have stringent nutritional requirements due to their simplified cell structure/genome, which often require materials of animal origin, such as serums for lipid supply/metabolism (Jack Maniloff 1992). The 24 day Mycoplasma test requires an initial inoculation into the aforementioned broth and agar media and then 4 subsequent subcultures from the broth media onto the agar media at specified time intervals. All of the broth and agar media plates are incubated at specific atmospheric conditions and temperature for the duration of the test. The initial inoculation and subcultures are all examined by a trained Microbiologist at specific time intervals to search for evidence of viable Mycoplasma growth. The examination by a trained Microbiologist/technician is a vital step as Mycoplasmas do not produce turbidity in media, such as in traditional bacterial growth, nor are they visible by traditional light microscopy (Farzaneh 2011). If a Mycoplasma contamination is found, a biological/pharmaceutical company can pay huge sums of money to investigate the cause of the contamination, initiate corrective action, decontaminate the facility and destroy impacted batches. As evidenced by the above description, Mycoplasma testing places a large burden on a biological/pharmaceutical production facility or even research institutions. The complex media and labor cost for the 24 day test is extensive, which must be repeated for each batch of new material received or produced. The cost skyrockets if any contamination event occurs or even appears to occur, as investigation and decontamination add cost due to delay of release or possible destruction.

8 pp. / By making several simple horse care changes, you can significantly decrease your horse’s risk of exposure to disease. Using the tips below, you may prevent your horse from being exposed to sick horses while away at a show. If your horse were to bring a virus home, proper Biosecurity practices could result in just one sick horse, as opposed to a whole barn full. The intent of this article is to inject a little humor while providing key common sense tips on Biosecurity. Each tip is accompanied by an easy to remember theme and cartoon. These changes seem small but they can make a big difference in protecting the health of your horse. .

Extensive studies have been done in the various fields of dairy production such as, reproduction, herd and animal health, feeding and nutrition and the economics of milk production. This study aims to incorporate the standards or benchmarks set out in these studies, in order to identify different technical and financial benchmarks that can be used as management tool by intensive milk producers. Benchmarking can be described as a process whereby a firm (farm) compare its processes, results or actions against that of competitors with the best practice in the industry. To become competitive a farm business must have the ability to compare (benchmark) itself against others, and preferably against others that perform better, but also make adjustments according to the comparison. Benchmarking is therefore a continuous process of comparing and adjusting where necessary. The dairy industry in South Africa changed dramatically since deregulation in the early 1990’s. The industry went from a highly regulated one-channel market to a completely free-market system. This meant that farmers had to become more competitive, both locally and internationally. Three different types of production systems are used in the six production regions in South Africa. These production regions can be divided into two main regions: the coastal regions and the Highveld region. Production in the coastal regions is normally pasture-based, with additional concentrate feeding in some cases. On the Highveld and in the Western Cape, production is based on a total mixed ration (TMR), where cows are fed the complete ration in an intensive production system. Benchmarks were identified for herd health and reproduction, feeding and nutrition and economic and financial performance. Lastly, some additional general benchmarks were defined for bio-security and capacity utilisation. Herd health and reproduction can be divided into the three main areas of fertility performance, udder health and general herd health. Nutrition and feeding can be divided into benchmarks for: intake, nutrient requirements, body condition scoring, calf and heifer feeding, and additional general feeding benchmarks. The economic and financial performance of the dairy farm business can be evaluated against benchmarks for costs, solvability, liquidity, profitability, debt repayment and capital efficiency. It is very important to note and remember that when a dairy farm is evaluated, all the norms or benchmarks must be seen in a holistic way. All the parameters, and therefore every benchmark, are interrelated and cannot be judged or applied individually. Feeding will have an impact on production and reproduction and therefore on financial performance. This study focuses only on benchmarks for intensive milk producers, but it is recommended that it can be extended to include benchmarks for milk production in the pasture-based production systems as well. Since the dairy industry operates in a free-market system and South Africa is an open economy, it is important to be globally competitive. This can only be achieved if local producers benchmark themselves against international standards. Benchmarks can only be used if they are quantified. It is therefore recommended that benchmarks are published for the dairy farmer to use in his evaluations. The Nominal Group Technique worked well to establish the parameters and their benchmarks and farmers can also benefit from this technique. All related parties to the dairy farm, such as the financial consultant or agricultural economist, animal nutritionist, veterinarian and other input suppliers can form a specialist group to evaluate the performance of the dairy together with the producer or herd manager. This specialist group can then recommend adjustments to be made, after discussing the effects on every aspect of production. / Dissertation (MSc (Agric): Agricultural Economics)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / MSc(Agric) / unrestricted