Special Issue "Epizootiology of Farm Animal Diseases"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Clinical Studies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Athanasios I. Gelasakis
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), 75 Iera Odos, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: veterinary epidemiology; animal infectious and parasitic diseases; herd health management; zoonoses; food-borne pathogens; One Health; farm animal husbandry; mastitis; lameness; small ruminant lentiviruses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The epizootiology of farm animal diseases is a critical component of their pathology, prevention, and control, and determines overall herd health management. It is defined as the study of disease dynamics among farm animals based on mass phenomena observed, and deals with the origin, spread and mitigation strategies of infectious and non-infectious diseases on a population level rather than on an individual basis.

The study of farm animal epizootiology is interdisciplinary, utilizing physiology, pathology, and diagnostic methods, and synthesizes and compares historical and geographical data, surveys, clinical observations, experiments, and mathematical modelling to describe and forecast epizootic processes. It refers to both epizootic and enzootic diseases, especially in the context of their etiology, transmission dynamics, geographic distribution, risk factors, diagnostic capabilities, preventive and control strategies, and effects on health, welfare, and production traits.

We invite original research and review papers that address the epizootiology of farm animal diseases. Topics can include both experimental and observational studies of farm animal diseases, as well as zoonotic and food-borne diseases, under the prism of One Health. Therefore, clinical trials, population studies, disease surveillance and ecological studies, as well as cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are welcome to this Special Issue.

Dr. Athanasios I. Gelasakis
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • epizootiology
  • farm animals
  • transmission dynamics
  • risk factors
  • prevention
  • herd health management
  • infectious and parasitic diseases
  • non-infectious diseases
  • diagnosis
  • epidemiological study

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Article
Prevalence, Characterization, and Pathogenicity of Salmonella enterica Subspecies enterica Serovar Derby from Yaks in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2397; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082397 - 13 Aug 2021
Viewed by 441
Abstract
Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Derby (S. Derby) is one of the numerous non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars and has been recognized as a food-borne pathogen. In 2019, outbreaks of salmonellosis were reported in 13 yak farms in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. [...] Read more.
Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Derby (S. Derby) is one of the numerous non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars and has been recognized as a food-borne pathogen. In 2019, outbreaks of salmonellosis were reported in 13 yak farms in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. A total of 32 salmonella strains were isolated from 162 fecal samples of yaks with diarrhea as well as from drinking water samples. The isolates were subjected to serovar identification, animal experiments, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analyses. The serovar of all the isolates was S. Derby, and the sequence types (STs) were ST40. The analysis of the differences of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed that the salmonella strains isolated from 13 farms were clonally related. Animal experiments showed that the lethal dose (LD50) was 4.57 × 107 CFU (colony-forming units); the shedding time of S. Derby in mice was 24 days; the bacterial loads in spleen were higher than those in other organs (ileum, liver, and cecum). Pathological analyses by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining revealed obvious damage in the spleen, liver, and intestine. These results indicate that the S. Derby from yaks can cause infection in mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epizootiology of Farm Animal Diseases)
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Article
A Cross-Sectional Epizootiological Study and Risk Assessment of Foot-Related Lesions and Lameness in Intensive Dairy Sheep Farms
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1614; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061614 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1245
Abstract
Foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions are emerging issues in dairy sheep; however, relevant epizootiological studies are scarce, and risk factors have not been elucidated. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were (i) to address this dearth of knowledge by investigating the epizootiology of [...] Read more.
Foot-related lameness, foot-diseases and lesions are emerging issues in dairy sheep; however, relevant epizootiological studies are scarce, and risk factors have not been elucidated. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were (i) to address this dearth of knowledge by investigating the epizootiology of lameness-related foot-lesions and diseases, and (ii) to assess the impact of potential risk factors on foot health, in intensive dairy sheep farms. Thirty farms were assigned in two representative clusters using a multivariate statistical analysis. Three farms per cluster and 100 multiparous milking ewes per farm (total n = 600) were selected and enrolled in the study. Foot-related lameness, ovine interdigital dermatitis (OID), infectious footrot (IFR), white line disease, hoof wall cracks, as well as health and welfare traits were recorded. Overall prevalence of foot-related lameness was 9.0% and was primarily associated with IFR; however, additional infectious and non-infectious foot diseases and lesions also contributed. Among infectious foot diseases, OID was the most prevalent (21.3%) followed by IFR (8.0%); WLD and hoof wall cracks were the most prevalent non-infectious foot-lesions (37.7% and 15.3%, respectively). IFR and OID prevalence increased with age (p < 0.05) and BCS (p < 0.01), respectively, suggesting that host-related factors and husbandry practices are important determinants of its occurrence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Epizootiology of Farm Animal Diseases)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Tentative Title: Ruminal acidosis in farm animals
Authorship: G. K. Symeon1, G. Manesis2, A.I. Gelasakis2 and I. Bossis3
Affiliations:  1Research Institute of Animal Science, ELGO-DEMETER
2Department of Animal Science, Agricultural University of Athens
3Faculty of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
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