Disease spread through animal movements: a static and temporal network analysis of pig trade in Germany

Background: Animal trade plays an important role for the spread of infectious diseases in livestock populations. As a case study, we consider pig trade in Germany, where trade actors (agricultural premises) form a complex network. The central question is how infectious diseases can potentially spread within the system of trade contacts. We address this question by analyzing the underlying network of animal movements. Methodology/Findings: The considered pig trade dataset spans several years and is analyzed with respect to its potential to spread infectious diseases. Focusing on measurements of network-topological properties, we avoid the usage of external parameters, since these properties are independent of specific pathogens. They are on the contrary of great importance for understanding any general spreading process on this particular network. We analyze the system using different network models, which include varying amounts of information: (i) static network, (ii) network as a time series of uncorrelated snapshots, (iii) temporal network, where causality is explicitly taken into account. Findings: Our approach provides a general framework for a topological-temporal characterization of livestock trade networks. We find that a static network view captures many relevant aspects of the trade system, and premises can be classified into two clearly defined risk classes. Moreover, our results allow for an efficient allocation strategy for intervention measures using centrality measures. Data on trade volume does barely alter the results and is therefore of secondary importance. Although a static network description yields useful results, the temporal resolution of data plays an outstanding role for an in-depth understanding of spreading processes. This applies in particular for an accurate calculation of the maximum outbreak size.Comment: main text 33 pages, 17 figures, supporting information 7 pages, 7 figure

Status Report on Education in the Economics of Animal Health: Results from a European Survey

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Studies of the Micro-Bunching Instability in the Presence of a Damping Wiggler

At the KIT storage ring KARA (Karlsruhe Research Accelerator), the momentum compaction factor can be reduced leading to natural bunch lengths in the ps range. Due to the high degree of longitudinal compression, the micro-bunching instability arises. During this longitudinal instability, the bunches emit bursts of intense coherent synchrotron radiation in the THz frequency range caused by the complex longitudinal dynamics. The temporal pattern of the emitted bursts depends on given machine parameters, like momentum compaction factor, acceleration voltage, and damping time. In this paper, the influence of the damping time is studied by utilizing the CLIC damping wiggler prototype installed in KARA as well as by simulations using the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck solver Inovesa

Toxoplasma gondii infection and toxoplasmosis in farm animals: Risk factors and economic impact

The protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Felids, including domestic cats, are definitive hosts that can shed oocysts with their feces. In addition to infections that occur by accidental oral uptake of food or water contaminated with oocysts, it is assumed that a large proportion of affected humans may have become infected by consuming meat or other animal products that contained infective parasitic stages of T. gondii. Since farm animals represent a direct source of infection for humans, but also a possible reservoir for the parasite, it is important to control T. gondii infections in livestock. Moreover, T. gondii may also be pathogenic to livestock where it could be responsible for considerable economic losses in some regions and particular farming systems, e.g. in areas where the small ruminant industry is relevant. This review aims to summarize actual knowledge on the prevalence and effects of infections with T. gondii in the most important livestock species and on the effects of toxoplasmosis on livestock. It also provides an overview on potential risk factors favoring infections of livestock with T. gondii. Knowledge on potential risk factors is prerequisite to implement effective biosecurity measures on farms to prevent T. gondii infections. Risk factors identified by many studies are cat-related, but also those associated with a potential contamination of fodder or water, and with access to a potentially contaminated environment. Published information on the costs T. gondii infections cause in livestock production, is scarce. The most recent peer reviewed reports from Great Britain and Uruguay suggest annual cost of about 5–15 million US $ per country. Since these estimates are outdated, future studies are needed to estimate the present costs due to toxoplasmosis in livestock. Further, the fact that T. gondii infections in livestock may affect human health needs to be considered and the respective costs should also be estimated, but this is beyond the scope of this article

Studies of the Micro-Bunching Instability in the Presence of a Damping Wiggler

At the KIT storage ring KARA (Karlsruhe Research Accelerator), the momentum compaction factor can be reduced leading to natural bunch lengths in the ps range. Due to the high degree of longitudinal compression, the micro-bunching instability arises. During this longitudinal instability, the bunches emit bursts of intense coherent synchrotron radiation in the THz frequency range caused by the complex longitudinal dynamics. The temporal pattern of the emitted bursts depends on given machine parameters, like momentum compaction factor, acceleration voltage, and damping time. In this paper, the influence of the damping time is studied by utilizing the CLIC damping wiggler prototype installed in KARA as well as by simulations using the Vlasov-Fokker-Planck solver Inovesa

Epidemiology of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 8, Germany

In Germany, bluetongue disease had not been reported before 2006. During August 2006–August 2008, >24,000 bluetongue virus serotype 8 infections were reported, most (20,635) in 2007. In 2006 and 2007, respectively, case-fatality rates were 6.4% and 13.1% for cattle and 37.5% and 41.5% for sheep. Vaccination in 2008 decreased cases