Network analysis of swine movements in a multi-site pig production system in Iowa, USA

Publication date: Available online 20 November 2019Source: Preventive Veterinary MedicineAuthor(s): Tiago L. Passafaro, Arthur F.A. Fernandes, Bruno D. Valente, Noel H. Williams, Guilherme J.M. RosaAbstractPig production in the United States is based on multi-site systems in which pigs are transported between farms after the conclusion of each particular production phase. Although ground transportation is a critical component of the pork supply chain, it might constitute a potential route of infectious disease dissemination. Here, we used a time series network analysis to: (1) describe pig movement flow in a multi-site production system in Iowa, USA, (2) conduct percolation analysis to investigate network robustness to interventions for diseases with different transmissibility, and (3) assess the potential impact of each farm type on disease dissemination across the system. Movement reports from 2014 to 2016 were provided by Iowa Select Farms, Iowa Fall, IA. A total of 76,566 shipments across sites was analyzed, and time series network analyses with temporal resolution of 1, 3, 6, 12, and 36 months were considered. The general topological properties of networks with resolution of 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were compared with the whole period static network (36 months) and included the following features: number of nodes and edges, degree assortativity, density, average path length, diameter, clustering coefficients, giant strongly connected component, giant weakly connected compo...
Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research