By Jamie Martin
The swine farming industry faces significant risks from disease outbreaks, often spreading rapidly due to the interconnected nature of farms.
Traditionally, studies focused on animal movement to identify these risks. However, integrating human movement data offers a clearer and more inclusive understanding of disease spread and biosecurity.
Researchers analyzed one year of anonymized farm visit data, including property IDs, user and truck IDs, visit dates, and entry types, from three swine management companies. This data formed a network of 455 properties across 11 property types and 320,001 recorded movements.
When compared, human movement networks displayed higher connectivity and shorter path lengths than animal movement networks. For example, the longest path length was 10 for animals but reduced to 5 when human movement was added. This suggests that human activity creates a more interconnected and potentially vulnerable network.
The study revealed a hub structure in these networks, where specific properties acted as central points for movements. These hubs are particularly susceptible to becoming "super-spreaders" of disease. The findings emphasize the importance of monitoring both human and animal movements for a holistic approach to farm biosecurity.
By understanding movement patterns, farm managers can design better disease prevention strategies and minimize biosecurity risks, safeguarding the health of animals and humans alike.
Photo Credit: istock-srdjan-stepic
Categories: National