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In the context of animal health, the prophylaxis of infectious diseases in poultry populations, whether for prevention or control, is always directed at the population of a given geographical area (Animal Health) or at poultry facilities (Veterinary Preventive Medicine/Biosecurity) and the fundamental requirement for its implementation is the knowledge of epidemiology of transmissible diseases.
It is the science that studies the mechanisms of disease transmission in animal populations and the prophylaxis measures which, for their application, it is necessary to know the etiological agent involved, the host, and the environment.
It is the ability to solve problems with learning how to think and not what to think to outline a poultry health program.
Figure 1. Representation of the pillars of clinical practice, pathology and epidemiology.
Without epidemiology there is no scientific basis for the practice of Animal Health and Biosecurity.
The focus of the clinician is the sick animal, it is like looking at a sick tree. Its purpose is treatment.
The focus of pathology is a part of the animal (macroscopic and microscopic lesions, blood serum, organ fragments) with the objective of studying the path that a pathogenic agent travels in the organism of an infected or diseased animal. It is like looking at the wood of a diseased tree.
The focus of epidemiology is the environment where the animals live (farm) and the surroundings where the risk factors are present (freeranging wild and domestic animals) livestock farms, water sources (rivers, lakes, reservoirs), sanitary landfills, garbage dumps, rodents, insects, etc.
Therefore, biosecurity measurements refer to actions in different components of the environment.
A disease control program must be well designed both biologically (effectiveness) and economically (efficiency). It must also be dynamic in order to evolve according to changes in the situation as assessed by the frequency of occurrence of the disease/ infection, economic conditions (costbenefit), political or socio-climatic that require a change in the course of the program.
The subject matter of this document are the commercial poultry without specific emphasis in the different alternative modalities such as free-range broilers, commercial cage-free laying hens.
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ETIOLOGY, HOST AND ENVIRONME...
