Cutting-edge diagnostics in livestock disease management

Emerging infectious diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease pose significant challenges to the global livestock industry. These diseases necessitate stringent control measures like quarantines, transport restrictions, and enhanced biosecurity measures to sustain livestock production. To support these efforts, precise and reliable diagnostic tests are critical to rapidly identify infected animals, enabling more effective disease prevention, surveillance, control, and eradication initiatives. Developing and improving diagnostic tools for the rapid detection of pathogenic nucleic acids, antigens, and antibodies is thus vital in combating these threats.

This Research Topic aims to offer a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in diagnostic methodologies for emerging livestock diseases, while inspiring future research in the field of production animal medicine. Current studies explore non-invasive biological specimens, such as oral swabs and environmental samples, as alternatives to conventional blood and serum tests. Nevertheless, much work is still required to understand the potential of these specimens in diagnosing emerging diseases. Specific objectives include fostering research on novel diagnostic assay development, evaluating and enhancing diagnostic accuracy, and adapting assays for use with alternative specimens. These innovations are crucial in bolstering the resilience of global food animal production to address food shortages and insecurity challenges.

To gather further insights into advancing diagnostic approaches for food animal diseases, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Development and improvement of serological and PCR-based technologies for rapid pathogen detection
- Point-of-care diagnostic methods applicable in farm settings
- Accuracy assessment and performance enhancement of diagnostic assays
- High throughput diagnostic strategies incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning

Research focusing on diagnostic approaches for crucial emerging diseases affecting the commercial livestock industry, such as the African swine fever virus, highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, and foot-and-mouth disease virus, is particularly encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Diagnostics, Molecular diagnostics, Serological diagnostics, Emerging diseases, Livestock, Food animals, Bovine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.