Evaluation Survey on Agreement with Existing Definitions of Biosecurity with a Focus on Livestock.

Disease prevention, including biosecurity, surveillance, and traceability are key aspects to minimize the risk of animal diseases causing harm to society. Diseases for which biosecurity are needed depend on species of interest, e.g.

Contamination by Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Listeria spp. of most popular chicken- and pork-sausages sold in Reunion Island.

One of the most popular meat products of the local "cuisine" is sausage composed with 100% chicken or 100% pork. In this study, we aimed to determine the presence of Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp.

Taenia solium porcine cysticercosis in Madagascar: Comparison of immuno-diagnostic techniques and estimation of the prevalence in pork carcasses traded in Antananarivo city.

Taenia solium cysticercosis was reported in official veterinary and medical statistics to be highly prevalent in pigs and humans in Madagascar, but few estimates are available for pigs. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis among pigs slaughtered in Antananarivo abattoirs. Firstly, the diagnostic performance of two antigen-ELISA techniques (B158B60 Ag-ELISA and HP10 Ag-ELISA) and an immunoblotting method were compared with meat inspection procedures on a sample of pigs suspected to be infected with (group 1; n=250) or free of (group 2; n=250) T.

Spatio-temporal prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Madagascar based on meat inspection.

Background: Taenia solium cysticercosis is a parasitic meat-borne disease that is highly prevalent in pigs and humans in Africa, but the burden is vastly underestimated due to the lack of official control along the pork commodity chain, which hampers long-term control policies.

Methods: The apparent and corrected prevalences of T. solium cysticercosis were investigated in pork carcasses slaughtered and retailed in Antananarivo (Madagascar), thanks to a 12-month monitoring plan in two urban abattoirs.

Residues of medroxyprogesterone acetate detected in sows at a slaughterhouse, Madagascar.

In Madagascar, little information about drug residues in animal products is available. However, recently, official veterinary services were informed about the misuse of human injectable contraceptives in pig farms as an alternative for chirurgical castration of adult sows before culling. We investigated pigs (n = 80) slaughtered in 7 Malagasy abattoirs and raised in 8 of the 22 Malagasy regions (1) to confirm the contamination of carcasses by anabolic hormones by using LC-MS/MS, (2) to identify the substances of concern and (3) to explore the consumers' exposure to hormone residues.

Control of cysticercosis in Madagascar: beware of the pitfalls.

Taenia solium cysticercosis is a zoonosis of public health importance in areas where the disease is endemic, with significant economic impacts on human health and the swine industry. Several gaps remain in the epidemiology of the parasite and the strategies of control in developing countries. We detail the key factors to consider in Madagascar in terms of the porcine husbandry system, Taenia transmission cycle, and diagnosis of cysticercosis in pigs, in order to better estimate the sanitary and economic impacts of this parasitic disease as well as to define an integrated control program.

Review of climate, landscape, and viral genetics as drivers of the Japanese encephalitis virus ecology.

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), an arthropod-born Flavivirus, is the major cause of viral encephalitis, responsible for 10,000-15,000 deaths each year, yet is a neglected tropical disease. Since the JEV distribution area has been large and continuously extending toward new Asian and Australasian regions, it is considered an emerging and reemerging pathogen. Despite large effective immunization campaigns, Japanese encephalitis remains a disease of global health concern.

Prevalence of antimicrobial residues in pork meat in Madagascar.

Residual antimicrobials in food constitute a risk to human health, but poor knowledge is available about the significance of contaminated meat in developing countries. The purpose of the study was to determine the occurrence of antimicrobial drug residues in pork products in Madagascar. The occurrence of antimicrobial drug residues in pork meat were investigated by the Premi® test (DSM(©)) technique.

High prevalence of hepatitis E in humans and pigs and evidence of genotype-3 virus in swine, Madagascar.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes an orofecal disease transmitted through poor hygiene environments, contaminated food (mainly pork products), or by contacts with infected animals. Very little data are currently available regarding the disease in the Southwestern Indian Ocean Islands. We report the first sero- and viro-survey for HEV in human and swine in Madagascar.

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in pigs, Réunion Island.

During 2009, pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus affected humans on Réunion Island. Since then, the virus has sustained circulation among local swine herds, raising concerns about the potential for genetic evolution of the virus and possible retransmission back to humans of variants with increased virulence. Continuous surveillance of A(H1N1)pdm09 infection in pigs is recommended.

Salmonella in fattening pigs in Reunion Island: herd prevalence and risk factors for infection.

Our objective was to identify the risk factors for Salmonella infection in fattening pigs in Reunion Island. Sixty pig farms were studied from April to August 2008 on the whole island. A questionnaire was submitted to the farmers, and samples of fresh faeces and gauze socks were taken to assess the Salmonella status of each herd.

Multivariate analysis of management and biosecurity practices in smallholder pig farms in Madagascar.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 and 2006 in three geographical areas of Madagascar to investigate and differentiate swine farm management and biosecurity practices in smallholder farming communities. Questionnaire data from a total of 709 pig farms were analysed using multiple factor analysis (MFA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Variables describing management and biosecurity practices were organised into five groups: structure of the farm, animal-contacts, person- and vehicle-contacts, feeding, and sanitary aspects.

Local epidemiosurveillance in swine diseases in Northern Vietnam: description and preliminary results.

The REMAPORC is an epidemiosurveillance network in swine diseases and an organizational model for local veterinary services in one district of Northern Vietnam. A strong concern was done on quality of the sanitary information chain from field and feedback to local agents. Based on 4,000 declarations provided by veterinarians and animal health workers involved, preliminary results highlighted the major incidence of porcine respiratory disease complex; digestive affections in piglets, and reproductive disorders in newly raised exotic sows have been also noticed.

An Internet portal dedicated to pig production and wild suids in the tropics: PigTrop web site http://pigtrop.cirad.fr.

Considering that a wide access to updated and relevant data is a key point for livestock development and research improvement in tropics, The PigTrop web site (http://pigtrop.cirad.fr) is dedicated to pig production and pork commodity chains in developing countries.

HPAI surveillance programme in Cambodia: results and perspectives.

Cambodia has faced 15 confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) outbreaks in different sectors of the poultry industry since January 2004. The country has very limited human and financial resources and, when the outbreak first began, the veterinary services were not equipped with the basic tools to collect accurate epidemiological information or to fight the disease. Therefore, different agencies, under the umbrella of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, are providing support to the Government to strengthen its capacity to diagnose, survey and control the avian influenza (AI) virus.