Foot-and-mouth disease publications

September 1st, 2021

We are excited to share our three new publications from the FMD Ready Project.

Economic benefits of implementing trading zones for Australian livestock disease outbreaks of limited duration

This study is a collaboration between the CSIRO, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES), and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The study estimated the economic benefits of trading zones as part of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control measures for limited duration outbreaks. Eleven individual incursion scenarios in six Australian states are simulated within the Australian Animal Disease Spread epidemiological model to identify the potential geographic extent of outbreaks. The disease spread information is used to identify the boundaries of trading zones. The market impacts of the potential export embargoes including changes in equilibrium quantities, prices and revenue are simulated within the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences’ AgEmissions partial equilibrium model of Australian agriculture. You can read more about our publication in the Australian Veterinary Journal here or contact Dr Tim Capon for more information.

A Simulation Study of the Use of Vaccination to Control Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks Across Australia

This study examines the potential for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control strategies that incorporate vaccination to manage FMD spread for a range of incursion scenarios across Australia. Stakeholder consultation was used to formulate control strategies and incursion scenarios to ensure relevance to the diverse range of Australian livestock production regions and management systems. We have shown that selective, targeted vaccination strategies could achieve effective FMD control while significantly reducing the number of animals vaccinated. You can read our publication in Frontiers in Veterinary Science here or contact Dr Sorada Tapsuwan for more information.

 

Comparing surveillance approaches to support regaining free status after a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak

Following an FMD eradication program, surveillance will be required to demonstrate that the program has been successful. New technologies such as real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) tests and sampling techniques such as bulk milk testing (BMT) of dairy cattle, oral swabs, and saliva collection with rope tethers in piggeries could enable surveillance to be done more efficiently. Epidemiological modelling was used to simulate FMD outbreaks, with and without emergency vaccination as part of the response, in Australia. There was no reduction in effectiveness using the alternative approaches, with one of the benefits being a reduction in the number of false positive herds. Alternative approaches to FMD surveillance based on non-invasive sampling methods and RT-qPCR tests have the potential to enable post outbreak surveillance substantiating FMD freedom to be done more quickly and less expensively than traditional approaches based on serological surveys. You can read our publication in Preventive Veterinary Medicine here or contact Dr Tim Capon for more information.