Division of Virology, IVRI, Mukteswar-263138, India.
Abstracts of the papers presented at the International Conference of Indian Virological Society on “Emerging and Re-emerging viral Diseases of the Tropics and Subtropics” at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India, December 11–14, 2007.
Biosecurity earlier primarily relied on geographical containment and isolation. The practice of handling hitherto unknown pathogens was restricted to geographically isolated laboratories. Reliance was more on physical structures like valleys, hills, islands, etc. However as technological advances were made new concepts of biological safety systems were put into use. There has been an increasing awareness regarding emergent and exotic diseases and novel infrastructure to handle these uncommon pathogens. Biosecurity is not a new issue or concern for livestock operations. For years, producers have been overwhelmed with information on the importance of biosecurity. However, the adoption of such programs for much of the livestock industry has been slow. Most producers use some biosecurity practices, such as quarantining new animals, using clean needles, or segregating animals by age, but do not have a comprehensive program. The responsibility for protecting livestock has traditionally fallen on the producers. Literature on biosecurity is typically directed towards livestock producers as how-to guides for implementing protocols. Disease carriers are no longer just new stock, but anything and/or anybody that comes in contact with non-herd animals or equipment. Infected animals shed bacterial or viral particles through feaces, exhaled air, milk, saliva, nasal secretions and/or urine. Most of these particles can survive in feaces, bedding, the air, and most anywhere in the environment for some length of time. The possibility of spreading diseases from one farm to another is difficult to quantify, which is why there is not much research published in this area. In some cases with closed herds with no new animals coming in, contaminated visitors are the only possible explanation. The spate of epidemics of SARS, H5N1, Hendra, Nipah, Menangle, FMD in the UK to name a few, have reinforced the concept of biosecurity preparedness in the livestock sector as there could be serious implications if there was no contingency plan at hand. However, knowing the nature of diseases and the organisms that cause those diseases, one can only conclude that real potential is in developing biosecurity preparedness.
