Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries
Abstract Background Biosecurity measures are essential for mitigating the risk of pathogen introduction and spread in farms. While standardised tools for monitoring biosecurity implementation exist, they are often not tailored to the specific needs of low and middle income countries (LMICs), where p...
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-025-00796-8 |
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| author | Søren Saxmose Nielsen Naomi P. Kemunto Dishon M. Muloi Anders Miki Bojesen Theodore Knight-Jones Dreck Ayebare Michel Dione Eugine L. Ibayi Louise Ladefoged Poulsen Arshnee Moodley |
| author_facet | Søren Saxmose Nielsen Naomi P. Kemunto Dishon M. Muloi Anders Miki Bojesen Theodore Knight-Jones Dreck Ayebare Michel Dione Eugine L. Ibayi Louise Ladefoged Poulsen Arshnee Moodley |
| author_sort | Søren Saxmose Nielsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Biosecurity measures are essential for mitigating the risk of pathogen introduction and spread in farms. While standardised tools for monitoring biosecurity implementation exist, they are often not tailored to the specific needs of low and middle income countries (LMICs), where pathogen occurrence and farming practices can be highly variable compared to intensive high income country settings. The aim of our study was to develop a flexible risk assessment tool for evaluating biosecurity practices on small and medium-scale poultry farms in LMICs. The methodology described here allows local experts to adapt the tool to current conditions. Results The development process began by combining two existing questionnaires. These were evaluated by nine experts with expertise in diverse farming systems in LMICs. The experts conducted a knowledge aggregation process to assign weights to the different areas and individual questions within the questionnaires. The median scores from the final expert elicitation informed the weighting of questions in the newly developed questionnaire. These weights are adaptable and can be adjusted to reflect population-specific conditions, which may vary in pathogen load and farming practices. Conclusions We have developed a flexible biosecurity assessment tool tailored to small-and medium-scaled poultry farms in LMICs. This tool can be used as presented or adapted to local conditions through the input of local experts, allowing for effective and context-specific biosecurity monitoring. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-821b6c2ee431485196c5d826b3cabdf7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1751-0147 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica |
| spelling | doaj-art-821b6c2ee431485196c5d826b3cabdf72025-02-09T12:48:30ZengBMCActa Veterinaria Scandinavica1751-01472025-02-0167111310.1186/s13028-025-00796-8Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countriesSøren Saxmose Nielsen0Naomi P. Kemunto1Dishon M. Muloi2Anders Miki Bojesen3Theodore Knight-Jones4Dreck Ayebare5Michel Dione6Eugine L. Ibayi7Louise Ladefoged Poulsen8Arshnee Moodley9Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenDepartment of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenAnimal and Human Health Department, International Livestock Research InstituteDepartment of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenAnimal and Human Health Department, International Livestock Research InstituteDepartment of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenAnimal and Human Health Department, International Livestock Research InstituteAnimal and Human Health Department, International Livestock Research InstituteDepartment of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenDepartment of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of CopenhagenAbstract Background Biosecurity measures are essential for mitigating the risk of pathogen introduction and spread in farms. While standardised tools for monitoring biosecurity implementation exist, they are often not tailored to the specific needs of low and middle income countries (LMICs), where pathogen occurrence and farming practices can be highly variable compared to intensive high income country settings. The aim of our study was to develop a flexible risk assessment tool for evaluating biosecurity practices on small and medium-scale poultry farms in LMICs. The methodology described here allows local experts to adapt the tool to current conditions. Results The development process began by combining two existing questionnaires. These were evaluated by nine experts with expertise in diverse farming systems in LMICs. The experts conducted a knowledge aggregation process to assign weights to the different areas and individual questions within the questionnaires. The median scores from the final expert elicitation informed the weighting of questions in the newly developed questionnaire. These weights are adaptable and can be adjusted to reflect population-specific conditions, which may vary in pathogen load and farming practices. Conclusions We have developed a flexible biosecurity assessment tool tailored to small-and medium-scaled poultry farms in LMICs. This tool can be used as presented or adapted to local conditions through the input of local experts, allowing for effective and context-specific biosecurity monitoring.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-025-00796-8Context-specific biosecurityFit-for-purpose biosecurityLMICPoultryRisk managementRisk mitigation |
| spellingShingle | Søren Saxmose Nielsen Naomi P. Kemunto Dishon M. Muloi Anders Miki Bojesen Theodore Knight-Jones Dreck Ayebare Michel Dione Eugine L. Ibayi Louise Ladefoged Poulsen Arshnee Moodley Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica Context-specific biosecurity Fit-for-purpose biosecurity LMIC Poultry Risk management Risk mitigation |
| title | Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| title_full | Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| title_fullStr | Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| title_short | Flexible assessment of biosecurity in small- and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| title_sort | flexible assessment of biosecurity in small and medium scale poultry farms in low and middle income countries |
| topic | Context-specific biosecurity Fit-for-purpose biosecurity LMIC Poultry Risk management Risk mitigation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-025-00796-8 |
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