Mortality in Danish Swine herds: Spatio-temporal clusters and risk factors

Publication date: Available online 20 June 2017 Source:Preventive Veterinary Medicine Author(s): Ana Carolina Lopes Antunes, Annette Kjær Ersbøll, Kristine Bihrmann, Nils Toft The aim of this study was to explore spatio-temporal mortality patterns in Danish swine herds from December 2013 to October 2015, and to discuss the use of mortality data for syndromic surveillance in Denmark. Although it has previously been assessed within the context of syndromic surveillance, the value of mortality data generated on a regular and mandatory basis from all swine herds remains unexplored in terms of swine surveillance in Denmark. A total of 5010 farms were included in the analysis, corresponding to 1896 weaner herds, 1490 sow herds and 3839 finisher herds. The spatio-temporal analysis included data description for spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal cluster analysis for three age groups: weaners (up to 30kg), sows and finishers. Logistic regression models were used to assess the potential factors associated with finisher and weaner herds being included within multiple-herd clusters. The spatio-temporal distribution of mortality changed over time, and suggested a general increase in mortality for the months of January and July for the three age groups. A large number of single-herd clusters (i.e. clusters with only one herd), and fewer multiple-herd clusters (i.e. clusters with at least two herds) were found. The herd size affected whether weaner herds were within multiple-her...
Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research