OptisampleTM: Open web-based application to optimize sampling strategies for active surveillance activities at the...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Epidemiology
• Animal Health Surveillance
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv) poses significant economic threats to the global swine industry.
• Active surveillance is essential for demonstrating PRRSv freedom in swine herds.
• Designing efficient surveillance strategies is complex due to varying herd factors and resource limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce OptisampleTM, an open web-based application for optimizing swine herd sampling strategies.
• To develop a model that substantiates freedom from infection while considering testing costs.
• To provide a flexible tool for designing cost-effective PRRSv surveillance schemes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a web-based application, OptisampleTM, incorporating herd size, expected prevalence, test sensitivity, confidence levels, pathogen introduction risk, herd structure, and sampling over time.
• Simulation and comparison of diverse sampling schemes for hypothetical swine herds under various epidemiological scenarios.
• Application of the model to active surveillance of PRRSv.

Main Results:

• OptisampleTM optimizes sampling strategies for PRRSv surveillance, balancing effectiveness and cost.
• Consideration of herd-specific epidemiological factors and sample selection is vital for demonstrating disease freedom.
• The model identified cost-effective sampling schemes for different herd situations.

Conclusions:

• OptisampleTM provides a valuable tool for enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of animal disease surveillance.
• Tailoring surveillance strategies to individual herd dynamics and epidemiological context is critical for accurate disease freedom claims.
• The developed approach can be adapted for surveillance of other animal diseases.