Mobile apps for improving record keeping in the Kenyan Pig Industry - antibiotic use and pig performance

用于改善肯尼亚养猪业记录保存的移动应用程序 - 抗生素使用和生猪生产性能

• 批准号: BB/R020051/1
• 负责人: Jonathan Rushton
• 金额: $ 8.28万
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FR020051%2F1
• 关键词: Mobile; apps; improving; record; keeping

Record-keeping in livestock production brings considerable benefits for animal health, aiding early detection of disease and management problems. Whilst it is normally an integral part of any large farming operation, small producers rarely have the training or tools available to them to keep records, or where they do, they cannot always then use these in decision making. In low-income countries, the first response to any livestock health problem that occurs is often for the farmer to administer antibiotics, as they are readily available from drug stores without prescription. Unsupervised and unrecorded sales makes it extremely difficult to monitor the use of drugs critical for human health, and antibiotics are often sold and used inappropriately, contributing to growing levels of antibacterial resistance (ABR). Even where antibiotic use in livestock is supervised by trained veterinary professionals, drug selection can still be irrational, and there are no means of reporting suspect non-response to treatment, which can be an early indication of ABR. The problem is compounded by the lack of diagnostic facilities, meaning it is often impossible for farms to identify the cause of disease in their livestock and select the most appropriate treatment or management intervention. This issue is particularly acute in the pig and poultry sectors, which have very few specialists available, compared to the veterinary provision for the ruminant sector.Excellent recording systems exist for industrial pig producers, but require considerable investment; the aim of this project is to develop a mobile app for smartphones, suitable for use by small-to medium size farms in East Africa (defined as average annual production of 100 pigs per year), where farmers are investing to move from small holder to market oriented production to meet increasing demand for animal source foods. Features will include a system for recording growth rates and piglet mortality, changes in which may be indicators of a disease problem. It will also record antibiotics being administered, with automated warnings for the user when a potentially unsuitable drug is selected (for example, when a pig is too close to its slaughter weight for certain types of antibiotic to be used because of residues in the meat). The app will incorporate a feedback system so that farmers can see how they are doing in comparison to others in their local area, plus manuals with guidance on good management and possible health problems. The initial development of the app will be undertaken in partnership with a commercial pig production company that works with a large number of small scale contract farmers: Aggregated reports will be developed for the company vets to allow monitoring of compliance with protocols, suspected non-response to treatment or excessive use of antimicrobials, which may highlight problems requiring investigation. This can also be integrated with observations of disease signs in pigs slaughtered at the company's abattoir, to provide disease surveillance reports highlighting possible hotspots of disease or drug resistance. A second mobile app, to be used by meat inspectors, will be developed or modified from an existing app already in use by our research group to collect abattoir data. Integration of data across the different arms of the company (own farms, abattoirs, small scale contractors) will be a key feature of this project. Linking contract farms more closely with the company will allow farmers to request advice or investigation of problems by the company's outreach teams, and allow centralised vets to monitor and respond more quickly to problems in the community.Apps will be evaluated with a group of 50 small-to-medium contractors for ease of use, perceived benefits and cost-effectiveness. Depending on the cost-benefit, the final stage to the project will be to investigate options to roll out apps to small producers across Kenya and potentially the wider region.

牲畜生产中的记录保存为动物健康带来了可观的好处，有助于早期发现疾病和管理问题。尽管它通常是任何大型农业行动的组成部分，但小型生产商很少有可用于保留记录或在哪里做的培训或工具，但他们不能总是在决策中使用这些。在低收入国家，对任何发生的牲畜健康问题的首次反应通常是农民管理抗生素，因为它们很容易在没有处方的药店中获得。无监督和未记录的销售使监测对人类健康至关重要的药物的使用极为困难，并且抗生素经常出售和使用不当，从而导致抗菌抗性水平不断增长（ABR）。即使在受过训练的兽医专业人员监督牲畜中使用抗生素，药物的选择仍然可能是非理性的，并且没有任何对可疑治疗无反应的方法，这可能是ABR的早期迹象。缺乏诊断设施使问题更加复杂，这意味着农场通常不可能在其牲畜中识别疾病原因并选择最合适的治疗或管理干预措施。与反刍动物部门的兽医规定相比，猪和家禽部门尤为严重。工业生猪生产者存在分散记录系统，但需要大量投资；该项目的目的是开发用于智能手机的移动应用程序，适用于东非的中小型农场（定义为每年平均每年100头猪的平均生产），农民正在投资从小型持有人转移到面向市场的产量，以满足对动物源食品增加的需求。特征将包括用于记录增长率和小猪死亡率的系统，其中可能是疾病问题的指标。它还将记录使用的抗生素，并在选择潜在的不合适的药物时对用户进行自动警告（例如，由于肉中残留物，猪过于接近其屠宰重量以无法使用某些类型的抗生素）。该应用程序将结合一个反馈系统，以便农民可以看到与当地其他人相比的情况，以及有关良好管理和可能的健康问题的指导的手册。该应用程序的初步开发将与一家商业猪生产公司合作进行，该公司与大量的小型合同农民合作：将为公司VETS开发汇总报告，以允许监视遵守协议的遵守情况，怀疑对治疗或过度使用抗菌药物的无反应，这可能会突出需要研究问题的问题。这也可以与该公司屠宰场屠宰的猪疾病迹象的观察结果结合在一起，以提供疾病监测报告，强调了可能的疾病或耐药性热点。肉类检查员将使用的第二个移动应用程序将从我们的研究小组已经使用的现有应用程序中开发或修改以收集屠宰场数据。整个公司的不同武器（自己的农场，屠宰场，小规模承包商）的数据集成将是该项目的关键特征。将合同农场与公司更紧密地联系起来，将使农民可以要求公司外展团队对问题的建议或调查，并允许集中式的兽医对社区中的问题进行监控和反应更快。APP将与50个小型至中等承包商进行评估，以易于使用，可感知的福利和成本效益。根据成本效益的不同，该项目的最后阶段将是调查为肯尼亚的小型生产商推出应用程序以及可能更广泛地区的选择。

项目成果

Benefits of Using a Transdisciplinary Approach for the Design and Operationalization of a Surveillance System

使用跨学科方法设计和运行监控系统的好处

• DOI: 10.1079/onehealthcases.2023.0016
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: One Health Cases
• 作者: Falzon L

Improved latrine coverage may reduce porcine cysticercosis: a comparative cross-sectional study, Busia County, Kenya 2021.

• DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1155467
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
• 影响因子: 3.2
• 作者: Chege, Bernard;Ndambuki, Gideon;Owiny, Maurice;Kiyong'a, Alice;Fevre, Eric M.;Cook, Elizabeth A. J.
• 通讯作者: Cook, Elizabeth A. J.

Salmonella identified in pigs in Kenya and Malawi reveals the potential for zoonotic transmission in emerging pork markets.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008796
• 发表时间: 2020-11
• 期刊: PLoS neglected tropical diseases
• 影响因子: 3.8
• 作者: Wilson CN;Pulford CV;Akoko J;Perez Sepulveda B;Predeus AV;Bevington J;Duncan P;Hall N;Wigley P;Feasey N;Pinchbeck G;Hinton JCD;Gordon MA;Fèvre EM
• 通讯作者: Fèvre EM

The Nairobi Pork Value Chain: Mapping and Assessment of Governance, Challenges, and Food Safety Issues.

• DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.581376
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Frontiers in veterinary science
• 影响因子: 3.2
• 作者: Murungi MK;Muloi DM;Muinde P;Githigia SM;Akoko J;Fèvre EM;Rushton J;Alarcon P
• 通讯作者: Alarcon P

Epidemiology of Porcine Cysticercosis in Eastern and Southern Africa: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

• DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.836177
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Frontiers in public health
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Gulelat Y;Eguale T;Kebede N;Aleme H;Fèvre EM;Cook EAJ
• 通讯作者: Cook EAJ