Biosecurity measures reducing Salmonella ssp. and hepatitis E virus prevalence in pig farms: A systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Aim: This study's objective was to identify biosecurity measures (BSMs) that are relatively easy to implement and effectively reduce the prevalence of Salmonella or HEV in pig farms. Methods: We systematically screened the scientific literature using the Web of Science and PubMed electronic databases. The extracted effects were estimated from raw data as ln(odds ratio), and its standard error. In cases where more than one effect estimate was published, the estimates were summarized applying meta-analytical fixed-effects models without any moderators. Weighted estimation with inverse-variance weights was used. Results: We identified 26 articles reporting 66 BSMs to reduce Salmonella and 4 articles including 15 BSMs to reduce HEV prevalence in pig farms. For Salmonella, animals' strategic movement to cleaned and disinfected finishing units, the continuous flushing of gutters, the presence of a lavatory at the farm, minimized contact of