Risk-based methods for fish and terrestrial animal disease surveillance

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Epidemiology
• Aquatic Animal Health
• Disease Surveillance

Background:

• Risk analysis principles have advanced animal disease surveillance, particularly for terrestrial animals, showing significant cost-saving potential.
• Risk-based surveillance (RBS) programs are underdeveloped for aquatic animal diseases, hindering efficient monitoring and control efforts.
• Data scarcity, including infection risk factors, diagnostic test sensitivity, and prevalence variability, impedes the design of effective aquatic RBS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles, methods, and examples of risk-based surveillance (RBS) across terrestrial, farmed, and wild animal populations.
• To identify and discuss the specific challenges in applying RBS to aquatic animal disease surveillance.
• To provide an overview of current developments and suggest strategies for overcoming constraints in designing RBS for fish diseases.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on risk-based surveillance principles and applications in animal health.
• Analysis of data limitations and methodological challenges specific to aquatic disease surveillance.
• Examination of current developments and potential solutions for implementing RBS in aquaculture.

Main Results:

• Risk-based surveillance (RBS) has demonstrated substantial cost-saving potential in terrestrial animal disease monitoring.
• Significant data gaps and unique epidemiological challenges (e.g., farm connectivity, accessibility) hinder the application of RBS in aquatic environments.
• Despite challenges, advancements in methodology and data collection offer pathways to developing effective RBS for fish diseases.

Conclusions:

• Risk-based surveillance (RBS) principles are transferable to aquatic animal health, promising cost efficiencies.
• Overcoming data limitations and addressing the unique complexities of aquaculture are crucial for successful RBS implementation.
• Further research and development are needed to refine and apply RBS methodologies to aquatic animal disease surveillance effectively.