There are major gaps in understanding the transmission risk of hemorrhagic fevers of swine, such as African swine fever (ASF) and classical swine fever (CSF), in the Caribbean because animal-trade data are limited and fragmented. To address this gap, we reconstructed country-level directed trade networks from United Nations Comtrade data for 2022–2024 merged with participant input and analyzed them using social network analysis; nodes represent Caribbean jurisdictions with at least one trade tie, and edges represent reported movements of live pigs or pork products. Using these baselines, we conducted a participatory modeling exercise with 15 veterinary and agricultural officers from 10 Caribbean countries and territories during a regional ASF preparedness workshop in Saint Kitts. Network metrics were estimated for both pig and pork trade networks. Participatory input markedly expanded connectivity: for live pigs, the UN Comtrade network contained 6 edges and experts added 12 (18 total; 67% new). For pork products, the preliminary network contained 58 edges; participants added 42, bringing the total to 100 (42% new). The pork product network’s most central exporters by out-degree were the Dominican Republic (13) and Trinidad and Tobago (12); the median out-degree was 3. The live-pig network remained sparse, with isolated sub-graphs. Despite a median out-degree of 1 across the live-pig network, Saint Kitts and Nevis led exports (out-degree 5), with pig movements to Montserrat, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Anguilla, and Antigua and Barbuda. These findings show that participatory approaches with local expertise fill data gaps, enhance preparedness, and support risk assessment.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the wild and on cervid farms have drawn the attention of state wildlife agencies and animal health agencies as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has spread across North America. Deer farm regulations have been implemented to reduce direct contact between wild and farmed cervids; however, evidence suggests that indirect contact to infectious prions passed through the alimentary tracts of scavengers may be an important transmission pathway. The objective of this study was to characterize mammalian scavenger and wild deer activities associated with deer farms and link these activities with site-specific spatial covariates utilizing a network of camera traps, mounted to farm perimeter fences. We monitored each of 14 farms in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania for two weeks during the summer, with a subset of farms also monitored in the winter and fall. Across all sites and seasons, we captured 749 observations of wildlife. In total, nine species were captured, with wild white-tailed deer accounting for over three quarters of observations. Despite the large number of wild deer observed, we found that interactions between wild and farmed deer at the fence line were infrequent (six direct contacts observed). In contrast, mammalian scavengers were frequently observed inside and outside of the fence. Supplementary cameras placed on deer feeders revealed higher observation rates of scavengers than those placed along fence lines, highlighting the potential for transmission of CWD through indirect contact via scavenger excreta. To evaluate associations between the number of observations of focal species with land-cover characteristics, two mixed-effects regression models were fitted, one model for scavengers and one for wild deer. Contrary to our hypothesis, landscape context did not have a strong impact on wildlife visitation. This suggests that farm location is less important than management practices, highlighting the need for future research into how farming practices impact rates of wildlife visitation onto cervid farms.

The recent spread of foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever emphasizes the need to conduct comprehensive surveillance to detect a potential disease introduction as soon as possible. The United States is currently free of many important FADs of swine, and many preparedness initiatives have raised awareness amongst the commercial, intensive swine industry. However, the awareness and engagement of small-scale swine farmers regarding disease surveillance and passive reporting is not well known. This scoping review was conducted to identify and characterize sources of evidence on the practices and attitudes of small-scale swine farmers and owners in the United States regarding pig health and disease management, surveillance, and veterinary care use, and secondarily to characterize information seeking and communication behaviors. Sources of evidence were found through keyword searches of online databases, citation matching, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education project reports. Eligibility criteria included being conducted on or with US small-scale (defined in this review as less than 1000 pigs) or non-intensive swine farms and containing information pertinent to the objectives of the review. Seventeen sources were included in the final review. Regular disease monitoring and surveillance practices were not commonly reported, and multiple sources reported little to no incidence of disease occurrence in small-scale swine farms. Reported veterinary use and access was variable, and multiple sources reported that the choice to use veterinary care was affected by its perceived cost, value, and accessibility. Future research and outreach should aim to discern key factors affecting farmer’s decisions to use a veterinarian, improve their awareness and prioritization of swine diseases, and develop small-scale appropriate disease surveillance protocols. Ultimately, this will help small-scale swine farmers to protect the health of their pigs and improve FAD surveillance in the US.