In aquaculture, biosecurity consists of policies, procedures and measures used to prevent or control the spread of fish disease. The focus of this research was the practice of biosecurity in the recirculation sector of finfish aquaculture in the United States and Canada. Specifically, this research: 1) identified and characterized finfish recirculation facilities in the United States and Canada; 2) assessed biosecurity utilization in these facilities; 3) examined the relationship between biosecurity utilization and fish culture variables; 4) examined the relationship between biosecurity utilization and socio-demographics of personnel operating these facilities; 5) described the attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about fish disease and biosecurity utilization of personnel, and 6) described the lived-experience of biosecurity practice of workers at these facilities. This research was comprised of two separate components using different methodologies. The first component was a self-administered, mail-back questionnaire sent to the managers of 152 finfish recirculation facilities in the United States and Canada in fall of 2001. The second component was a series of in-depth interviews conducted with 31 workers at 12 salmonid recirculation facilities in spring of 2002. Grounded theory methodology was used for the interview process and subsequent data analysis for the second component. An 86% response rate was achieved in the mail survey. Aquaculture activities using recirculation technologies were quite varied in purpose of operation, size of production, and life stages held. Four groups of fishes dominated the recirculation sector and constituted the primary production of over 45% of this sector of aquaculture. This sector was heavily reliant on ground water resources. Forty-one percent of finfish recirculation facilities did not have a secondary source of water supply. Biosecurity utilization is not homogenous within the recirculation sector. Frequency of biosecurity utilization was related to primary water source, type of fish grown, purpose of the operation and country of operation. Biosecurity was an important concern of facility operators, although among facility operators there were differences in perception of disease risk and benefits of biosecurity utilization. Analysis of results of this study resulted in formulation of the Practice of Biosecurity Theory (PBT). The theory describes a three-phase process in the practice of biosecurity: (1) orientation, when workers begin their initiation into the practice of biosecurity; (2) routine, when practice of biosecurity becomes a habitual behavior; and (3) thoughtful approach, where knowledge of fish health needs and biosecurity practices are integrated into a repertoire of biosecurity strategies that are situation- and site-specific. The practice of biosecurity was affected by three environmental conditions; personal biography, management's role, and peer pressure. This research gives educators, extension agents, researchers and government policy-makers a quantitative description of finfish recirculation aquaculture in the United States and Canada. It also provides baseline information on biosecurity utilization in recirculation aquaculture. This research provides insight into the human dimensions aspect of the practice of biosecurity and, therefore, may have application to other areas of agri-business. / Ph. D.

La problématique de l’observance de la biosécurité est présente dans tous les types de production. Il est essentiel de définir des stratégies pour améliorer l’application des mesures de biosécurité. Cette étude décrit l’application des mesures de biosécurité à l’entrée et à la sortie de 24 bâtiments d’élevages avicoles au Québec, Canada. L’effet des audits et de caméras visibles sur l’observance a été étudié, de même que les déterminants de l’observance. De plus, la relation entre l’observance et les profils de personnalité, l’expérience et l’éducation a été décrite. L’application des mesures de biosécurité a été évaluée à l’aide de caméras cachées. L’observance à court terme (deux premières semaines) et à moyen terme (six mois plus tard) a été déterminée. Basés sur les résultats du groupe contrôle, 44 différentes erreurs lors de l’application des mesures de biosécurité ont été observées à l’entrée et la sortie des bâtiments. La plupart étaient reliées à la délimitation des zones (propre versus contaminée). La nature et la fréquence des erreurs suggèrent un manque de compréhension des principes associés aux mesures de biosécurité. Le visionnement des vidéos a révélé 3055 visites par 277 individus différents (136 employés, 123 visiteurs, 3 superviseurs et 15 éleveurs). Les résultats ont démontré que les audits n’avaient pas d’impact sur l’observance des employés. Les caméras visibles ont eu un impact, à court terme, sur le port de bottes et le respect des zones durant la visite. Par contre, six mois plus tard, l’observance avait significativement diminué, au point de ne plus être statistiquement plus élevée que le groupe contrôle. La durée et le moment de la visite, la présence de l’éleveur ou d’un observateur, la conception de l’entrée, le nombre de bâtiments, le nombre de mesures de biosécurité exigé, le type de bottes, le genre et être membre de la famille de l’éleveur étaient significativement associés à l’observance de certaines mesures. Finalement, trois traits de la personnalité étaient associés à l’observance: responsabilité, orienté vers l’action et complexité, de même que le nombre d’années d’expérience et le niveau d’éducation. Il est nécessaire d’améliorer la formation en matière de biosécurité en fournissant du matériel de formation à tous les intervenants qui démontrent pourquoi et comment appliquer les mesures de biosécurité. La formation continue devrait également aborder les problématiques reliées aux caractéristiques de visites et de fermes. Améliorer la conception des entrées de bâtiments devrait contribuer à augmenter et à maintenir l’observance. L’identification de traits de personnalité associés à l’observance peut avoir des implications sur la sélection des candidats à l’embauche ou sur l’attribution de tâches et sur la planification des programmes de formation. / Biosecurity compliance issue is present in all types of animal productions, Therefore, it is essential to define strategies to improve the implementation of biosecurity measures. This study described the application of biosecurity measures when entering and exiting 24 poultry barns in Québec, Canada. The effect of audits and visible cameras on compliance was investigated, as well as determinants of compliance. Also, the relationship between compliance and personality profiles, experience and education has been described. Application of biosecurity measures was evaluated using hidden cameras. Short term (first two weeks) and medium term (six months later) compliance were determined. Based on the control group, 44 different biosecurity breaches were observed when getting in and out of poultry barns. Most were related to area delimitation (clean versus contaminated). The nature and frequency of errors suggest a lack of understanding of biosecurity principles. Overall, video viewing revealed 3055 visits done by 277 different individuals (136 employees, 123 visitors, 3 supervisors and 15 growers). Results showed that audits did not have any impact on employee compliance. Visible cameras had a significant impact on changing boots and respecting areas during the visit for the short term period. However, six months later, compliance significantly declined and was no longer statistically higher compared to the control group. Duration and moment of the visit, presence of the grower or an observer, barn entrance design, number of barns, number of biosecurity measures requested, type of boots, gender and being a member of a grower’s family were significantly associated with compliance with some biosecurity measures. Finally, three personality traits were significantly associated with compliance: responsibility, action-oriented and complexity, as well as the number of years of experience and the level of education. There is a need to improve biosecurity training by making training material available to all poultry personnel demonstrating why and how to apply biosecurity measures. Educational meetings should also address issues related to visit and farm characteristics. Improving barn entrance design should contribute to enhance and maintain compliance. The identification of personality traits associated with compliance may have implications for the selection of job applicants or task attribution, and for developing educational materials and training programs.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Curtis Kastner / The U.S. agriculture industry is diverse and dynamic, plays a vital role in the nation’s economy, and serves as a critical component in providing the global food supply. Agriculture has and always will be susceptible to threats such as pests, disease, and weather, but it is also threatened by intentional acts of agroterrorism. One specific area of concern is foreign animal diseases (FAD) and the danger these diseases create for the U.S. livestock industry. Whether a disease outbreak is intentional or accidental, it could devastate animal agriculture and the food infrastructure and have a lasting impact on state, national, and global economies. One of the most economically devastating diseases that raise fear and anxiety in the livestock industry is foot and mouth disease (FMD). A number of administrative, regulatory, and legislative actions have been implemented at state and federal levels designed to protect the agriculture industry and to prevent, prepare for, and respond to an accidental or intentional introduction of an FAD. However, the consistency, clarity, and long-term commitment of these policy approaches remains in question. Effective policy decisions require a multidisciplinary approach that consider and balance science, economics, social factors, and political realities. A significant number of policy analysis tools exist and have been applied to animal emergency scenarios but few actually address the complexity of these policy dilemmas and provide information to policymakers in a format designed to help them make better decisions. Policy development needs to take a more multidisciplinary approach and better tools are needed to help decision makers determine the best policy choices. This dissertation analyzes three FAD policy dilemmas: mass euthanasia and depopulation, carcass disposal, and vaccination. Policy tools are developed to address the multidisciplinary nature of these issues while providing the information necessary to decision makers in a simple and useful format.

The diploma focuses on an assessment of welfare, technology and technological systems related to an efficiency and health condition of dairy cattle in selected farms in the Czech republic. Farming and veterinary database had been used in the process of compiling the diploma content; and screening methods to assess a welfare level in dairy cows herds. Stables for dairy cows must be in a dispositional, technical and operational compliance with the applied farm technology, in order to keep air circulation, dustiness, temperature and relative air humidity, gas concentration, lighting and noise levels within the safe limits. Any of the farm technological systems must not affect health condition and well-being of animals. Environment, providing animals conditions allowing natural behavior, rest and intake of food and water, creates a foundation for sustaining an appropriate welfare level of cattle as a significant prerequisite for reaching optimal productional a reproductional indicators. Even though there was no significant statistical difference documented (p >0,05) between monitored farms in selected indicators, an analysis of mutual dependency has been conducted between the environment level and some productional and reproductional indicators and health conditions of cattle.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:31:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leticia Souto Ribeiro de Franca.pdf: 1402048 bytes, checksum: bf670a3644f0856ed75f45246d82e0ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-06 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The relation of the human being and his body is crossed by practices of cultural manipulation and temporarily situated. In this work we explore the ways in which the body is being the target of interventions, bringing examples of traditional cultures, its techniques and functions, and we present a discussion about the body modification practices in the contemporary occidental society. Starting with the foucaultian reflection that there is a political technology of the body, we try to keep up with the techniques of the self activated by the body modification professionals and the ways these practices forge its frontiers with others political technologies. For such, we made individual interviews with three body modification professionals, because we believed that they occupy an strategic place in their field: they are not only in relation with the ones who request their work, but also with agencies that socially have any social control mandate over the management of these practices. The way found was to get in touch with The Tattoo and Body Piercing Company Union of the State of São Paulo (SETAP-SP). Found in 2005, the SETAP-SP regularizes the practice of tattoo and body piercing in the state of São Paulo. The constructionist perspective offered us a methodological help on the research allowing a non realistic posture before our object, making possible to recognize the participants speech as knowledge, set in the level of any other discursive production. We proposed, so, dialogues among the practical knowledge of the participants with theoric reflection about self care, biopolitic and biosecurity. According to the analyses, we noticed that the biosecurity practices mentioned by the three interviewed professionals, show us the insertion process of this concern, in the last decades, in the field of body modifications in Brazil. However, if the body modifications are doing interface with the biosecurity optic, they do not stop having frontiers or important interfaces with the health subjetc, but, less in a normative perspective (in the sense of biopolitic) and more as a potency to differ. In other words, less as a norm and more as normativity. Therefore we also conclude that the professional practice of body modification can have distinctive connotations, in this case, close to the clinical practices and the techniques of the self / A relação do ser humano com seu corpo é atravessada por práticas de manipulação cultural e temporalmente situadas. Neste trabalho abordamos os modos como o corpo vem sendo alvo de intervenções, trazendo exemplos de culturas tradicionais, suas técnicas e funções, e apresentamos uma discussão sobre as práticas de modificação corporal na sociedade contemporânea ocidental. Partindo da reflexão foucaultiana de que há uma tecnologia política dos corpos, buscamos acompanhar as técnicas de si acionadas pelos profissionais de modificações corporais e os modos como essas práticas vão forjando suas fronteiras com outras tecnologias políticas. Para tal, realizamos entrevistas individuais com três profissionais de modificações corporais, pois acreditamos que eles ocupam um lugar estratégico no campo: estando em relação tanto com as demandas dos que solicitam o seu trabalho, quanto com agências que socialmente têm algum mandato de controle social sobre a gestão dessas práticas. O caminho encontrado foi entrar em contato com o Sindicato de Empresas de Tatuagem e Body Piecing do Estado de São Paulo (SETAP-SP). Fundado em 2005, o SETAP-SP busca regularizar a prática de tatuagem e body piercing no estado de São Paulo. A perspectiva construcionista nos ofereceu o aporte metodológico da pesquisa ao permitir uma postura não realista diante do nosso objeto, possibilitando reconhecer o discurso dos participantes como conhecimento, posto ao nível de qualquer outra produção discursiva. Propusemos então, diálogos entre o conhecimento prático dos participantes com reflexões teóricas acerca do cuidado de si, da biopolítica e biossegurança. De acordo com as análises, observamos que práticas de biossegurança, mencionadas pelos três profissionais entrevistados, sinalizam o processo de inserção dessa preocupação, nas últimas décadas, no campo das modificações corporais no Brasil. Entretanto, se as modificações corporais estão fazendo interfaces com a ótica da biossegurança, elas não deixam de fazer fronteiras ou interfaces importantes com as questões da saúde, porém, menos por uma perspectiva normatizante (no sentido da biopolítica) e mais como potência de diferir. Ou seja, menos como norma e mais como normatividade. Assim, concluímos também que as práticas profissionais de modificações corporais podem ter conotações distintas, neste caso, próximas das práticas clínicas e das técnicas de si

La problématique de l’observance de la biosécurité est présente dans tous les types de production. Il est essentiel de définir des stratégies pour améliorer l’application des mesures de biosécurité. Cette étude décrit l’application des mesures de biosécurité à l’entrée et à la sortie de 24 bâtiments d’élevages avicoles au Québec, Canada. L’effet des audits et de caméras visibles sur l’observance a été étudié, de même que les déterminants de l’observance. De plus, la relation entre l’observance et les profils de personnalité, l’expérience et l’éducation a été décrite. L’application des mesures de biosécurité a été évaluée à l’aide de caméras cachées. L’observance à court terme (deux premières semaines) et à moyen terme (six mois plus tard) a été déterminée. Basés sur les résultats du groupe contrôle, 44 différentes erreurs lors de l’application des mesures de biosécurité ont été observées à l’entrée et la sortie des bâtiments. La plupart étaient reliées à la délimitation des zones (propre versus contaminée). La nature et la fréquence des erreurs suggèrent un manque de compréhension des principes associés aux mesures de biosécurité. Le visionnement des vidéos a révélé 3055 visites par 277 individus différents (136 employés, 123 visiteurs, 3 superviseurs et 15 éleveurs). Les résultats ont démontré que les audits n’avaient pas d’impact sur l’observance des employés. Les caméras visibles ont eu un impact, à court terme, sur le port de bottes et le respect des zones durant la visite. Par contre, six mois plus tard, l’observance avait significativement diminué, au point de ne plus être statistiquement plus élevée que le groupe contrôle. La durée et le moment de la visite, la présence de l’éleveur ou d’un observateur, la conception de l’entrée, le nombre de bâtiments, le nombre de mesures de biosécurité exigé, le type de bottes, le genre et être membre de la famille de l’éleveur étaient significativement associés à l’observance de certaines mesures. Finalement, trois traits de la personnalité étaient associés à l’observance: responsabilité, orienté vers l’action et complexité, de même que le nombre d’années d’expérience et le niveau d’éducation. Il est nécessaire d’améliorer la formation en matière de biosécurité en fournissant du matériel de formation à tous les intervenants qui démontrent pourquoi et comment appliquer les mesures de biosécurité. La formation continue devrait également aborder les problématiques reliées aux caractéristiques de visites et de fermes. Améliorer la conception des entrées de bâtiments devrait contribuer à augmenter et à maintenir l’observance. L’identification de traits de personnalité associés à l’observance peut avoir des implications sur la sélection des candidats à l’embauche ou sur l’attribution de tâches et sur la planification des programmes de formation. / Biosecurity compliance issue is present in all types of animal productions, Therefore, it is essential to define strategies to improve the implementation of biosecurity measures. This study described the application of biosecurity measures when entering and exiting 24 poultry barns in Québec, Canada. The effect of audits and visible cameras on compliance was investigated, as well as determinants of compliance. Also, the relationship between compliance and personality profiles, experience and education has been described. Application of biosecurity measures was evaluated using hidden cameras. Short term (first two weeks) and medium term (six months later) compliance were determined. Based on the control group, 44 different biosecurity breaches were observed when getting in and out of poultry barns. Most were related to area delimitation (clean versus contaminated). The nature and frequency of errors suggest a lack of understanding of biosecurity principles. Overall, video viewing revealed 3055 visits done by 277 different individuals (136 employees, 123 visitors, 3 supervisors and 15 growers). Results showed that audits did not have any impact on employee compliance. Visible cameras had a significant impact on changing boots and respecting areas during the visit for the short term period. However, six months later, compliance significantly declined and was no longer statistically higher compared to the control group. Duration and moment of the visit, presence of the grower or an observer, barn entrance design, number of barns, number of biosecurity measures requested, type of boots, gender and being a member of a grower’s family were significantly associated with compliance with some biosecurity measures. Finally, three personality traits were significantly associated with compliance: responsibility, action-oriented and complexity, as well as the number of years of experience and the level of education. There is a need to improve biosecurity training by making training material available to all poultry personnel demonstrating why and how to apply biosecurity measures. Educational meetings should also address issues related to visit and farm characteristics. Improving barn entrance design should contribute to enhance and maintain compliance. The identification of personality traits associated with compliance may have implications for the selection of job applicants or task attribution, and for developing educational materials and training programs.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:32:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-01-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:44:09Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 buchala_fg_dr_jabo.pdf: 2239800 bytes, checksum: 45318e9bad370d2fed0afb87b5d25d4f (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A suspeita de Laringotraqueíte Infecciosa Aviária (LTI) em galinhas de postura de ovos comerciais da região de Bastos, Estado de São Paulo, foi notificada em 27/12/2002 ao Serviço de Defesa Sanitária Animal. A Coordenadoria de Defesa Agropecuária instituiu um programa de saúde animal para o controle da doença, com base no planejamento de fases que foram implantadas durante o seu desenvolvimento e amparadas por instrumentos legais especificamente elaborados para esta finalidade. A Portaria CDA no 2, de 10 de janeiro de 2003, proibiu o trânsito interestadual de aves de descarte da região e deu início à fase preparatória. A Resolução SAA no 27, de 30 de setembro de 2003, caracterizou a fase de execução com a delimitação da área infectada, denominada “Bolsão” de Bastos. A Portaria CDA no 4, de 20 de janeiro de 2004, estabeleceu um programa compulsório de vacinação contra a LTI. A partir de junho de 2004, nenhum novo caso de LTI foi observado no “Bolsão”. A Resolução SAA no 43, de 17 de novembro de 2005, declarou a LTI controlada com vacinação, dando início à fase de consolidação das medidas de profilaxia implantadas. Com a Resolução SAA no 55, de 20 de dezembro de 2006, e a Portaria CDA no 58, de 29 de dezembro de 2006, o programa evoluiu para a fase de manutenção. Todas as fases foram complementadas por medidas de biosseguridade implantadas pelos avicultores. / A suspect of Avian Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) in layer hens from Bastos region, São Paulo State, was communicated on December 27, 2002, to the Official Service of Animal Health. The Coordenadoria de Defesa Agropecuária (CDA) instituted an animal health program for the control of the disease, based on the planning of phases established during the development of the program and supported by legal instruments especially developed for this aim. The Portaria CDA Nº 2 on January 10, 2003 forbade interstate traffic of adult layer poultry from the region and started the preparatory phase. The Resolução SAA no 27 on September 30, 2003, characterized the execution phase by the delimitation of the infectious zone identified as “Bolsão” of Bastos. The Portaria CDA no 4 on January 20, 2004, established a compulsory program of vaccination against ILT. From the month of June, 2004, no new case was observed in the “Bolsão”. The Resolução SAA no 43 on November 17, 2005, declared the ILT controlled with vaccination, and started the phase of consolidation of the implanted prophylactic measures. From the Resolução SAA no 55 on December 20, 2006, and the Portaria CDA no 58 on December 29, 2006, the program evolved to the phase of maintenance. All the phases were complemented by biosecurity measures implanted by the owners of the layer hens.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-11T14:41:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CyntiaDSP_DISSERT (1).pdf: 1978324 bytes, checksum: 8940bd56a04f0b1877a351d745f4e795 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The Waste Health Services (RSS) are those outcomes of care to human or animal health, generated in hospital, clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and similar services and deserve attention because of potential risk to human health can offer as much for the environment. Inferred from the legislation that among the institutions responsible for managing RSS from its generation to final disposal, are those of veterinary care and veterinary clinics and pet shops, which has generated concern to health authorities the disposal of its waste, because improper disposal of some items endangers the health of pets and people in general. In this context the research aimed to evaluate the management of Solid Waste Health Services of veterinary establishments in the town of Mossoró-RN. Were selected 21 establishments were selected of veterinary clinics and pet stores of this municipality, which underwent an interview about the management of RSS based on CONAMA and ANVISA the resolutions, which govern the subject. Furthermore, the identification and quantification of RSS and guidance to those outlets about the risks of RSS and its management steps were performed. The descriptive data were from the notes made in the field daily, on the identification and quantification of waste produced and guidance to establishments obtained during the visits. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed statistically, using the non-parametric test, Fisher exact, to compare the ratio of the group of veterinary clinic and pet shop. It was found that these stores generate RSS approximately 34kg/dia and destined to the landfill in the municipality without any form of treatment. These establishments not adequately perform the steps of waste management since the segregation until the final destination and that approximately 44% did not practice segregation and packaging as per the guidelines suggested by this study. We conclude that it is necessary to adopt measures of action to guide owners and responsible for veterinary establishments as their responsibility to RSS generator, as it is essential that the responsible agencies conduct surveillance veterinary care facilities so they look fit legislation and therefore fulfill its responsibility to RSS generator / Os Resíduos de Serviços de Saúde (RSS) são aqueles resultados do atendimento a saúde humana ou animal, gerados em hospital, clínicas, laboratórios, farmácias e serviços similares e merecem atenção devido ao potencial de risco que podem oferecer tanto para saúde humana quanto para o meio ambiente. Depreende se da legislação que dentre os estabelecimentos, responsável em gerenciar os RSS desde sua geração até a destinação final, estão aqueles de assistência veterinária como clínicas veterinárias e Pet Shops, que vem gerando preocupação às autoridades de saúde a destinação dos seus resíduos, pois o descarte inadequado de alguns itens coloca em risco a saúde dos pets e da população em geral. Diante desse contexto a pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar o gerenciamento dos Resíduos Sólidos de Serviços de Saúde dos estabelecimentos veterinários no município de Mossoró-RN. Foram selecionados 21 estabelecimentos de clínicas veterinárias e pet shops desse município que foram submetidos a uma entrevista sobre o gerenciamento dos RSS com base nas resoluções CONAMA E ANVISA que regem sobre o assunto. Ainda foram realizadas a identificação e quantificação dos RSS e a orientação a esses estabelecimentos quanto aos riscos dos RSS e suas etapas de manejo. Os dados foram descritiva a partir das anotações realizadas no diário de campo, sobre a identificação e quantificação dos resíduos produzidos e a orientação aos estabelecimentos obtidas durante o período de visitas. Os dados obtidos nas entrevistas foram submetidos à análise estatística, com a utilização do teste não paramétricos Exato de Fisher para comparar a proporção entre o grupo de clínica veterinária e pet shop. Constatou-se que esses estabelecimentos geram RSS, aproximadamente 34kg/dia e que são destinados ao terro sanitário do município sem nenhuma forma de tratamento. Esses estabelecimentos ainda não realizam adequadamente as etapas de manejo dos resíduos desde a segregação ate a destinação final e que aproximadamente 44% não realizavam a segregação e acondicionamento conforme as orientações sugeridas por esse estudo. Conclui-se que é necessário adoção de medidas de ação para orientar os proprietários e responsáveis pelos estabelecimentos veterinários quanto a sua responsabilidade de gerador de RSS, assim como é essencial que os órgãos responsáveis realizem a fiscalização nos estabelecimentos veterinários para que esses procurem adequar se a legislação e consequentemente cumpram com sua responsabilidade de gerador de RSS

Master of Science / Grain Science and Industry / Cassandra K. Jones / Feed mill biosecurity is a growing concern for the feed industries, especially since the entry of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) to the United States. Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is primarily transmitted by fecal-oral contamination. However, research has confirmed swine feed and ingredients as potential vectors of transmission, so strategies are needed to mitigate PEDV in feed. The objective of the first experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of various chemical additives to prevent or mitigate PEDV in swine feed and ingredients that had been contaminated post-processing. Time, formaldehyde, medium chain fatty acids, essential oils, and organic acids all enhance the degradation of PEDV RNA in swine feed and ingredients, but their effectiveness varies within matrix. Notably, the medium chain fatty acids were equally as successful at mitigating PEDV as a commercially-available formaldehyde product. Salmonella is also another potential feed safety hazard in animal feed ingredients. Thermal mitigation of Salmonella in ingredients and feed manufacturing is effective, but it does not eliminate the potential for cross contamination. Therefore, the objective of the second experiment was to evaluate the effectiveness of chemicals to mitigate Salmonella cross-contamination in rendered proteins over time. Both chemical treatment and time reduced Salmonella concentrations, but their effectiveness was again matrix dependent. Chemical treatment with medium chain fatty acids or a commercial formaldehyde product was most effective at mitigating Salmonella in rendered protein meals. The final experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a dry granular acid, sodium bisulfate (SBS; Jones-Hamilton, Co., Waldridge, OH), to mitigate contamination of Salmonella in poultry feed. A surrogate organism, Enterococcus faecium, was utilized for this research in order to evaluate the effectiveness of SBS. Thermal processing, SBS concentration, and time all impacted biological pathogen levels in poultry diets, and including a dry granular acid may be an effective method to reduce pathogen risk. However, the most significant reduction of Enterococcus faecium was due to thermal mitigation. Notably, pelleting reduced Enterococcus faecium by 2-3 logs on day 0. In summary, both thermal processing and chemical inclusion can be used to reduce the risk of microbial pathogens in feed.

In a large agricultural operation, such as the one at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, disposal of deceased animals is an immense issue. The cost of transporting and rendering every dead animal is inhibitory to the general function of the agricultural operations and their thin budget. Therefore, we propose that composting mortalities could be an economical alternative. Composting is a recognized method for taking animal waste products along with carbon waste and turning it into a pathogen-free, nutrient-rich topsoil. Carcass composting is in fact performed in other countries and states to varying degrees of success. However, the California EPA limits carcass composing to only private land. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to determine the efficacy of killing pathogens by composting using bench top composting models. Ultimately, our goal is to provide “proof of concept” data in order to gain permission for a full-scale carcass compost pile to be set up at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Using thermo tolerant Salmonella senftenberg as an indicator organism, we performed bench top trials of traditional and carcass compost in the lab. Samples were inoculated with S. senftenberg and kept at 55°C for 15 days in accordance with the California EPA and Test Method for the Examination of Composting and Compost (TMECC). Samples were then plated and processed for multiple tube analysis and most probable number. Samples were also partitioned for a viability qPCR with propidium monoazide (PMA) to compare to the classic techniques. Using these methods we were then able to track and produce thermal death time data for S. senftenberg in both traditional and carcass compost. By comparing the types of compost, we were able to determine that the composting method presented by the California EPA and the TMECC produces safe, pathogen free compost, even when inoculated carcasses were introduced. However, even with removal of dead cells by PMA, qPCR did not outperform the classical microbiological methods for as tracking pathogen killing.