Fecal Pathogen Surveillance for Early Whole-Herd Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pathogen surveillance systems in animal facilities, such as swine herds, are inadequate for timely detection of pathogens like African Swine Fever virus and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus, leading to inefficient disease mitigation and high costs due to individual animal testing.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the collection of fecal samples from facility floors using absorbent shoe covers, followed by nucleic acid extraction and detection, allowing for whole herd pathogen surveillance with early detection and forecasting capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual animal testing is performed to detect pathogens, then pathogen detection accuracy is improved, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines fecal samples from multiple animals into a single pooled sample for pathogen detection. This merging approach maintains pathogen detection capability while significantly reducing the number of tests required, thereby decreasing time consumption and cost without sacrificing measurement precision for herd-level surveillance
Solution Approach 2:
The surveillance system serves multiple functions: it detects pathogens across the entire herd, provides early warning of outbreaks, and identifies high-risk groups. This multi-functional approach allows a single testing method to achieve both accurate pathogen detection and efficient resource utilization
2Measurement precision
If individual animal testing is performed to detect pathogens, then pathogen detection accuracy is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By merging samples from multiple animals into pooled samples, the system reduces the total number of tests required. This directly decreases the quantity of reagents, consumables, and laboratory resources needed, thereby reducing overall cost while maintaining the ability to detect pathogens accurately at the herd level
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses fecal material as a surrogate copy that reflects the pathogen status of multiple animals without requiring direct testing of each individual. This copying approach reduces the resource intensity of individual animal testing while preserving pathogen detection capability
3Reliability
If traditional surveillance methods are used, then pathogen detection is performed, but early detection and forecasting capability is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary surveillance by continuously monitoring pooled fecal samples from the herd, enabling early detection of pathogens before widespread outbreak occurs. This preliminary action provides advance warning that allows producers to implement mitigation measures proactively
Solution Approach 2:
The surveillance system establishes a feedback loop where pathogen detection results are continuously monitored and reported, enabling real-time assessment of herd health status. This feedback mechanism allows for timely intervention and forecasting of disease trends based on accumulated surveillance data
4Productivity
If pooled fecal sampling is performed for herd surveillance, then time efficiency and cost-effectiveness are improved, but detection sensitivity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system optimizes pooling parameters such as the number of animals per pool, sample collection timing, and detection methodology to maintain adequate sensitivity. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system achieves time efficiency through pooling while preserving sufficient detection capability to identify pathogens in the herd
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate, cost-effective pathogen detection across a herd, detecting pathogens earlier than traditional methods, enabling timely disease mitigation and reducing animal mortality.
Implementation Method 1
a shoe cover configured to absorb feces
Data Source
AI summary
A method may include sampling feces from a floor of the facility. The method may include isolating one or more pathogens or nucleic acids from one or more pathogens from sampled feces. The method may include detecting the one or more pathogens from the sampled feces based on the nucleic acids from the one or more pathogens. The method may report a detection of the one or more pathogens.