Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) remains of concern as a major potential global threat. This article evaluates and discusses the level of vulnerability of medium and small-scale commercial poultry production systems in Thailand related to avian influenza virus re-emergence. We developed a survey on 173 farms in Nakhon Pathom province to identify the global level of vulnerability of farm...

An initial census of layer farms in Khartoum State, Sudan, was carried out in late 2007 and early 2008 and found that there were 252 layer farms with a total population of 2 221 800 birds. This paper reports the findings of the census. Based on this information, a structured questionnaire survey of 92 farms was then conducted in the state in April 2008 to collect data on antibiotic usage, d...

In 2007, the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) published Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children to provide helpful recommendations for protecting the health and safety of children visiting agritourism farms. Supplement A: Policies and Procedures Guide and Supplement B: Worksite Guide were subsequently published in 2009 and provided ...

Toxoplasma gondii has frequently been named as one of the most important foodborne pathogens, in termsof its impact on human health. EFSA advised to include serological testing of pigs on T. gondii infections andaudits of pig farms on risk factors for T. gondii infection (EFSA, 2011). In order to generate knowledge about theepidemiology and prevalence of T. gondii infections in pig ...

The emergence of pathogens resistant to antimicrobials has prompted political initiatives targeting a reduction in the use of veterinary antimicrobials in Denmark, especially for pigs. This study elucidates the tendency of pig farms with a significantly higher antimicrobial use to remain in clusters in certain geographical regions of Denmark. Animal Daily Doses/100 pigs/day were calculated for ...

BACKGROUND Newcastle disease virus remains a constant threat in commercial poultry farms despite intensive vaccination programs. Outbreaks attributed to ND can escalate and spread across farms and states contributing to major economic loss in poultry farms. RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis in our study showed that eleven of the samples belonged to genotype VIId. All farms were concurrently posit...

To establish effective and efficient control measures for bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) in Japan, a pilot survey on persistently infected (PI) animals in dairy farms was conducted. A total of 5,949 cattle from 79 farms in 11 prefectures were tested; seven cattle in six farms were identified as PI animals. The proportion of farms with PI animals in Japan was calculated as 7.6% (95% confidence inte...

Utility-scale large wind farms are rapidly growing in size and numbers all over the world. Data from a meteorological field campaign show that such wind farms can significantly affect near-surface air temperatures. These effects result from enhanced vertical mixing due to turbulence generated by wind turbine rotors. The impacts of wind farms on local weather can be minimized by changing rotor d...

The objective of this research, was to quantify sustainability indicators of organic dairy farms using Automatic Milking Systems (AMS), and a comparative group of organic dairy farms using conventional milking systems (CMS). Milk yield per cow was higher for AMS farms but did not result in higher net return to management. Nitrogen surplus per ha of available land was higher for AMS farms, Anima...

We describe the investigation of an outbreak of Q fever in the town of Cheltenham, England. The outbreak was detected in June 2007, and prospective and retrospective case finding identified 30 confirmed or probable human cases. The investigation identified windborne spread of Coxiella burnetii from nearby sheep farms as the most likely source of infection. A telephone survey was conducted to id...