Swine Influenza Virus Introduction in Pig Farms: A Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment in Northern Italy

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Swine influenza is a viral zoonotic disease with pandemic potential.
• Assessing biosecurity on commercial pig farms is crucial for disease control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a semi-quantitative risk assessment of 22 commercial pig farms in northern Italy.
• To evaluate biosecurity systems and geographical locations for influenza introduction risk.
• To classify farms based on their overall risk index for influenza.

Main Methods:

• Modified Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) was used to calculate Risk Priority Codes (RPCs).
• Six biosecurity criteria were assessed: personnel, animal management, shelter management, animal transport, materials management, and buildings/access control.
• An overall risk index, including geographical risk, determined the final farm risk ranking.

Main Results:

• All farms received the highest risk level (RPC=5) for building and access control, primarily due to inadequate visitor access management.
• Fifteen farms showed medium risk (RPC=3) for personnel biosecurity, despite recent training, due to PPE usage gaps.
• The risk assessment identified specific areas of vulnerability across the evaluated farms.

Conclusions:

• Biosecurity, especially access control and personnel practices, requires significant improvement on commercial pig farms.
• Risk assessment is a valuable tool for identifying high-risk farms in endemic settings.
• Enhanced surveillance strategies are needed for early detection of novel influenza strains in pigs.