Fonseca Martinez BA, Mayorga AA, Page J, Habing G. Biosecurity in dairy calf production: A scoping review. Prev Vet Med. 2025 Sep 30;246:106697
Infectious diseases pose a persistent threat across all stages of the dairy production chain, with calf rearing being particularly vulnerable due to the calves´ immature immune systems. Effective biosecurity measures are crucial in mitigating the risk of pathogen introduction and spread among calves. The recent influenza outbreak in U.S. dairy herds underscores the need to evaluate biosecurity practices employed in calf rearing. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of reported biosecurity practices and the knowledge and attitudes of calf producers on biosecurity. By identifying existing gaps and areas where further research is essential, the review seeks to enhance biosecurity protocols, ultimately reducing the risk of infectious disease transmission and improving the overall health and productivity of dairy calves. Peer-reviewed studies that reported on biosecurity practices or assessed the knowledge and attitudes of producers in intensive farming systems were included. Out of 983 identified citations, 49 studies were included, mainly from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Ireland, with a focus on Holstein calves. Internal biosecurity measures, such as calf housing and colostrum management, were widely studied, while external practices, such as isolation and quarantine of new animals, pest control, and sanitization of incoming vehicles and equipment, were underrepresented. To a lesser extent, the attitudes and knowledge of producers regarding biosecurity practices were also explored, highlighting the importance of early care practices. This review emphasizes the significant variability in how biosecurity practices are reported in dairy calf production studies, with only 23 % explicitly identifying practices as biosecurity measures. Prior studies focus predominantly on internal biosecurity measures, particularly during the pre-weaning period, underscores their critical role in calf health. This review supports a need for standardized frameworks for reporting biosecurity practices and more research into producers´ attitudes and knowledge to enhance biosecurity implementation and calf health.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint]The mammalian-adaptive PB2-E627K substitution preserves viral fitness of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 HPAIV in birds 7 hours ago
- Mallard super-shedders of avian influenza exhibit distinct cloacal microbial abundance profiles 11 hours ago
- A digitally immune-optimized influenza vaccine broadly neutralizes swine and human H1N1 influenza viruses and protects from heterologous challenge 11 hours ago
- Associations between vaccine misinformation and influenza vaccine uptake: a population-based interrupted time-series study in China 12 hours ago
- Infection and transmission dynamics of bovine and human influenza A H5N1 viruses in mouse and hamster models 13 hours ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


