Pathogen Elimination in Animal Populations

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal System and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 1192

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Swine Extension & Consulting, Inc., Niigata, Japan
Interests: swine health and production; disease prevention; biosecurity; pathogen elimination; field applied research; PRRSV; PEDV; ASF

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pipestone Research, Pipestone, MN, USA
Interests: transmission and biosecurity of viral diseases; PRRSV; PEDV; ASFV
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce the opportunity to lead this Special Issue, titled “Pathogen Elimination in Animal Populations”. This Special Issue aims to establish a science-based platform that focuses on pathogen elimination strategies in animal populations. The elimination of pathogens is the ultimate goal and the most advanced strategy of animal disease prevention overall. To our knowledge, this issue is the first initiative to focus on this topic. This Special Issue will strive to be multi-organismal, cross-species, and global in nature. Its topics will include reviews on historical elimination efforts and pathogen transmission, new research in these areas, and summaries of field-based experience with attempts to eliminate both viral and bacterial agents from herds and flocks. We welcome all manuscripts that deal with these topics, especially contributions from field veterinarians who have served their customers and their animals by choosing to improve the welfare of their animals, and the economic viability of their farmers by choosing to eliminate the root cause of the problem rather than continuing to live with it, including the lessons that were learned therein.

Best regards,

Dr. Satoshi Otake
Dr. Scott Dee
Guest Editors

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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Dr. Satoshi Otake
Dr. Scott Dee
Guest Editors

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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • pathogen
  • elimination
  • eradication
  • animals
  • population
  • transmission
  • biosecurity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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13 pages, 1085 KB  
Article
Elimination of ASFV via Precise Culling in a Large-Scale Breeding Herd in China: A Field Experience
by Xingqian Du, Yuan Liu, Lianmao Duan, Shih-Yi Tsai, Joseph P. Yaros and Fangzhou Wu
Animals 2025, 15(17), 2521; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15172521 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 662
Abstract
This field study presents an elimination strategy for African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), particularly low-virulence genotype II strains, in a large-scale breeding herd in China. Since its introduction to China in 2018, ASFV has spread rapidly, causing significant economic losses. The emergence of [...] Read more.
This field study presents an elimination strategy for African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), particularly low-virulence genotype II strains, in a large-scale breeding herd in China. Since its introduction to China in 2018, ASFV has spread rapidly, causing significant economic losses. The emergence of low-virulence strains in 2020 further complicated the efforts against this virus. We describe a case study on a farm with 6000 sows in eastern China. Upon ASFV detection, pig movements were ceased immediately, strict biosecurity protocols were implemented, and an epidemiological investigation was conducted to identify high-risk zones. Pigs that tested positive or within high-risk zones were culled, followed by extensive disinfection of exposed areas and whole-herd PCR screening. Injection of a foot and mouth disease vaccine was utilized to stimulate virus excretion of latent infections for better detection. Four rounds of whole-herd tests were conducted to confirm the elimination of ASFV. This case study highlights the importance of timely monitoring, rapid culling, thorough disinfection, and enhanced biosecurity as an effort to control ASF outbreaks in a low-impact and more cost-efficient manner, so called “tooth extraction.” Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogen Elimination in Animal Populations)
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12 pages, 437 KB  
Review
Speculative Review on the Feasibility of Porcine Circovirus 2 Elimination
by Joaquim Segalés and Marina Sibila
Animals 2025, 15(18), 2744; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15182744 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 198
Abstract
Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is still infecting pigs after almost 20 years of massive vaccination all over the world. Vaccines are highly effective at counteracting the clinical signs of systemic disease caused by PCV2 and can significantly reduce the number of subclinically infected [...] Read more.
Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is still infecting pigs after almost 20 years of massive vaccination all over the world. Vaccines are highly effective at counteracting the clinical signs of systemic disease caused by PCV2 and can significantly reduce the number of subclinically infected pigs. However, current vaccination programs based on one single dose in piglets are insufficient to prevent infection in a proportion of animals. Moreover, systematic vaccination of the herd changes viral epidemiology and, consequently, can cause modifications in infection timing. Such a scenario may prompt intrauterine and piglet early infections, thus facilitating viral circulation even before vaccination takes place. Considering the demonstrated high vaccine efficacy, it would be legitimate to explore the possibility of eliminating PCV2 from swine herds, but only one attempt to eliminate the virus from a herd has been published so far. The present speculative review evaluates the existing scientific literature regarding the feasibility of getting rid of this virus under commercial farm conditions. The use of PCV2 vaccination in all swine populations within a herd and the implementation of regional or national control programs are foreseen as compulsory for the eventual successful elimination of this endemic viral infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogen Elimination in Animal Populations)
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