New Findings in Animal Biosecurity Related to Viral Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

There are several definitions of animal biosecurity, but the most popular is the one that conceptualizes the 5Bios rule (bio-exclusion, bio-containment, bio-compartmentation, bio-prevention, and bio-preservation). Within this definition, animal biosecurity encompasses all measures taken to (1) limit the risk of introducing pathogens (bio-exclusion); (2) limit the spread of pathogens within the same facility (bio-compartmentation); (3) limit the spread of pathogens outside the facility (inter-herd transmission) (bio-containment); (4) prevent the risk of human contamination by pathogens (bio-prevention); and (5) prevent environmental bio-contamination and the persistence of pathogens (bio-preservation). The benefits of implementing more biosecurity measures on a farm are improved animal productivity and farm health status in terms of disease, and a decrease in economic losses. For example, the implementation of biosecurity and its effective monitoring can prevent losses resulting from African swine fever and was shown in one study to have a benefit–cost ratio of 29. The public can also encourage government engagement and strengthen national and regional efforts to increase biosecurity capacity. When it comes to viral diseases, biosecurity is a core component of any control strategy, e.g., farm biosecurity measures to limit avian influenza virus circulation on commercial chicken farms, to minimize risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection on duck farms, to minimize risk factors for Hepatitis E virus serological status on pig farms, and to prevent the introduction of foot-and-mouth virus and mitigate its spread if an outbreak occurs, and the identification of national biosecurity measures to increase African swine fever preparedness.

Animal biosecurity, which is key to minimizing the risk of viral animal diseases that harm human society, is increasing in importance and has been implemented for several years in veterinary medicine curricula as well as in European Animal Health Law. A new chapter of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code on biosecurity is currently being prepared by the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the World Animal Biosecurity Association (WABA) will be officially registered as an international association this year. The objectives of this Special Issue are as follows: (i) understanding what animal biosecurity is and why it is important for dealing with viral diseases; (ii) estimating and/or understanding the needs and expectations of farmers, animal onwners, veterinary practitioners, and governmental and non-governemantal organizations regarding animal biosecurity; (iii) estimating the costs and benefits of adopting animal biosecurity measures on a farm/facility; (iv) evaluating the level of protection afforded to a farm/facility using adapted and innovative methodologies and tools for different species; (v) determining the necessary changes in behaviour of farmers, onwners, veterinary practitioners, and governmental and non-governemantal organizations regarding animal biosecurity in order to significantly reduce the incidence of important viral diseases in major animal productions; and (vi) establishing the most effective way to communicate/dissiminate animal biosecurity information to farmers, owners, and veterinary practitioners. Review papers—including scopping reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses—as well as original papers on the above topics that contribute to the objectives of this Special Issue are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Claude Saegerman
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Viruses 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 2600 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.

• viruses
• animal
• biosecurity
• evaluation
• communication
• needs
• cost–benefit analysis
• behaviour change