We have recently just opened a call for papers in the journal ‘Animals’, on the “Influence of Farm Animal Welfare on Epidemic and Pandemic Risks“. 

The  Issue will focus on the conditions and mechanisms by which compromised animal welfare can favor infectious disease risk.

Livestock species now constitute more biomass than all wild terrestrial vertebrates and humans combined, representing a massive zoonotic reservoir from which new pathogens can emerge. Importantly, many of the conditions associated with intensive animal farming—particularly those that challenge animal welfare—have been associated with impaired immune function and reduced resistance to infectious diseases. The maintenance of a large pool of vulnerable hosts has been considered an important public health risk, providing favorable conditions for the evolution of new pathogens that may cross the species barrier and eventually achieve sustained transmission in the human population. Understanding the pathways through which such events can happen in different species and production conditions is therefore critical.

This Special Issue will focus on the conditions and mechanisms by which compromised animal welfare can favor infectious disease risks, particularly those with epidemic and pandemic potential. Original research papers and review papers that advance our understanding of the extent to which challenges to farm animal welfare affect immune function, as well as the resistance and transmission of infectious diseases are invited. Challenges may include (but are not limited to) the effects of genetic selection for fast growth and productivity, high stocking densities, poor air quality, light deprivation, sleep deprivation, as well as acute and chronic exposure to sources of physical and psychological stress (e.g., thermal stress, injuries, diseases, feed deprivation, fear, social isolation, and deprivation of motivated behaviors). Additional topics may include changes in pathogen behavior and evolution in response to these factors.

Instructions are available here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/special_issues/welfare_epidemic